Supplier Code of Conduct
Introduction
Conducting business with high ethical standards is fundamental to IREP. In light of this, we have formalized this Supplier Code of Conduct to articulate our expectations of those with whom we conduct business including those businesses with which we have continuing supply relationships.
This Supplier Code of Conduct (“Code”) sets forth IREP’s expectations of suppliers, vendors, contractors and others with whom IREP conducts business (including their affiliates and collectively referred to as “Suppliers”)with respect to sound and responsible ethical, social, labor and environmental practices. IREP recognizes that Suppliers operate in different legal and cultural environments throughout the world. Regardless, this Code sets forth the minimum requirements that we expect our Suppliers to meet or to ensure such requirements are consistent with their own business principles, to do business with IREP. Consequently, Suppliers are expected to communicate the principles of this Code throughout their supply chain.
To uphold the critical priority of this approach, IREP reserves the right to carry out the controls that it deems reasonably necessary to ensure that this Code is respected throughout its Supply Chain. This may include self-assessments, IREP audits, and third-party audits of Suppliers.
IREP realizes that Suppliers may need time to address areas in which they may not be in compliance. We believe that compliance is best achieved through a process of continuous improvement over a period of time, which includes dialogue with IREP. With this in mind, IREP has developed the IREP Supplier Code of Conduct – Supplier Guide which seeks to provide Suppliers with guidance on how they can implement the IREP Supplier Code of Conduct. IREP invites its Suppliers to keep us regularly informed about their actions and their improvement plans concerning the Code of Conduct and welcomes evidence where exceeding the minimum is achieved by our supply chain partners.
IREP encourages its Suppliers to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In addition to the signature of the IREP Supplier Code of Conduct which is applicable to all IREP Suppliers whatever the product or service that they provide to IREP, Suppliers will be asked to sign the IREP Sustainable Seafood Supplier Charter, the IREP Animal Welfare Charter and other documents as appropriate to the products and services that they provide.
1. Business integrity
- IREP is committed to the highest standards of business integrity. We do not tolerate any practice that is inconsistent with the principles of honesty, integrity and fairness, anywhere in the world where we do business.
- IREP seeks to identify Suppliers that conduct business with ethical standards consistent with our own. IREP’s ethical standards are embodied in our Business Integrity Statement which provides in part (and as defined therein where required):
- Obey all applicable laws and regulations
- Treat each other fairly, with dignity and respect
- Prepare all records of financial transactions carefully and accurately
- Report financial conditions and results of operations, honestly and promptly
- Deal honestly and fairly with clients, customers, suppliers, and financial partners
- Avoid actual and potential conflicts of interest
- Avoid the improper giving and/or receiving of gifts
- Safeguard IREP’s assets
- Protect confidential and proprietary information (and as described in point 6 below regarding Information Protection)
- Protect IREP’s reputation
- Separate personal political activities from IREP’s business
- Report observed violations of all applicable laws and regulations and ethical standards.
Suppliers shall not engage in any acts of unfair competition and shall not engage in bribery in any form in particular, as described in the Suppler Guide.
2. Human rights and fundamental rights at work
IREP is committed to respect human rights wherever we do business. We will give effect to this commitment by working to implement and strengthen practices and procedures to prevent, mitigate and, where appropriate, remedy adverse human rights impacts that may result directly from our operations or that may be linked directly to our business through our relationships with Suppliers. Our commitment and implementing practices and procedures are informed by international instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and by the guidance set forth in the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
We expect our Suppliers to conduct their business in a manner that demonstrates respect for human rights, consistent with the principles below and to take all reasonable steps to address human rights risks in its existing supply chains and in any part of its own business.
- Elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor
Suppliers shall not use indentured, slave, bonded or other forced involuntary labor.
Suppliers shall ensure that work is performed voluntarily, in exchange for lawful compensation, and not subject to actual or threatened criminal penalty or prosecution, violence, confinement, retention of identity documents, or forfeiture of legal rights or privileges. Workers must be free to consent to enter into employment and free to leave the employment at any time, with reasonable notice in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, collective agreements, and operational constraints.
Suppliers shall not allow debt-induced forced labor, which refers to offering loans or wage advances from employers or labor recruiters in exchange for a pledge by a worker of his or her labor or of that of a family member in order to repay the loan.
- Effective abolition of child labor
Suppliers shall not permit workers under the legal age of employment to work in any country or local jurisdiction where the Supplier performs work for IREP. If the minimum age of employment is not defined, the minimum age of employment shall be 15 years of age. Regardless of the legal minimum age, in cases where minors are authorized to work, Suppliers shall observe all legal requirements, particularly those pertaining to hours of work, wages, minimum education and working conditions.
Suppliers shall set and respect clear age limits for work that can be mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous or harmful to young workers. Young workers are defined as being workers who are over the minimum age as defined previously and under the age of 18.
- Elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Suppliers shall not discriminate against employees in hiring, promotion, salary, performance evaluation or any other term or condition of work, on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. Suppliers shall not discriminate on any other basis that is prohibited by applicable laws and regulations.
- Freedom of association and effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Suppliers shall respect the right of employees to join or not to join the trade union of the employees’ choice and to bargain collectively, free from any form of retaliation, intimidation or harassment. Employees shall not be subject to intimidation or harassment in the exercise of their right to join or to refrain from joining any labor organization.
- Wages and benefits
Suppliers shall not pay less than the minimum wage in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Where the applicable laws and regulations do not set a minimum wage,
Suppliers shall pay at least the prevailing market wage for the relevant job.
Suppliers shall ensure that relevant workers are compensated overtime hours at the legally mandated premium rates, are not required to work overtime in order to earn minimum wage and receive all statutory benefits and insurance mandated by applicable laws and regulations.
- Working hours
Suppliers shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations for working hours for employees, including maximum hour limitations and requirements for break times. Suppliers shall not require employees to work in excess of legal overtime thresholds, except as may be required by emergency or may be lawful based upon the nature of the work.
- Health and safety
Health and Safety is an integral part of IREP’s mission to improve Quality of Life. IREP is committed to achieving a global health and safety culture and world class health and safety performance. The engagement of our Suppliers is essential for continuous improvement towards this objective.
Suppliers shall provide a safe and healthy workplace and working conditions. Health, safety and other workplace standards must, as a minimum, comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
Suppliers shall maintain and keep in force, at their own expense, a worker’s accident compensation scheme, whether public or private (such as worker’s compensation insurance), as required by the applicable laws and regulations for all their employees that provide or perform any products or services for IREP.
- Living conditions
Suppliers shall ensure that worker housing, where provided, meet the same standards for health and safety as those that apply in the workplace.
Suppliers shall ensure that living conditions respect employees’ dignity and right to privacy.
- Disciplinary practices
Suppliers shall treat everyone with dignity. Suppliers shall not inflict or threaten to inflict corporal punishment or any other forms of physical, sexual, psychological or verbal abuse or harassment on any employee.
Suppliers shall have a clear disciplinary process that forbids violence, harassment or intimidation in any physical or emotional form, and communicate it in a language understood by employees.
- Land rights
Suppliers shall respect the land rights of individuals, indigenous people and local communities. All negotiations with regard to their property or land, including the use of and transfers of it, shall adhere to the principles of free, prior and informed consent, contract transparency and disclosure.
3. Environment
Suppliers shall abide by all applicable environmental laws and regulations.
Suppliers shall work to continuously improve their environmental protection measures for example through the implementation of an environmental improvement program or action plan.
Suppliers shall work to sustain, protect and restore the environment, by such means as energy conservation, recycling and proper disposal of waste, and water management, as well as by environmental restoration.
4. Inclusive supply chain
IREP’s Supply Chain Inclusion Program is an integral part of the Group’s commitment to improve the Quality of Life for people working for our Suppliers, the development of local communities and demonstrates our commitment to engage and influence stakeholders on social and economic responsibility throughout the supply chain.
Engaging diverse and inclusive Suppliers within the local communities where we operate gives both our Suppliers and IREP the advantage of working with the best, most agile and innovative companies.
IREP expects its Suppliers to demonstrate a diverse workforce composition actively embracing workforce age, gender, race, national or ethnic origin, religion, language, political beliefs, sexual orientation, physical ability and promoting supply chain inclusion throughout their own supply chains.
5. Reporting
Suppliers shall provide accurate and timely reporting of information reasonably required by IREP to enable IREP to comply with all applicable laws and regulations in relation to providing or disclosing information required by any relevant governmental body, institution or organization.
6. Protection of information and data privacy
- Land rights
- Confidentiality and protection of information
IREP is committed to protecting the Confidential Information of everyone IREP does business with, including suppliers, clients, customers, consumers and employees, ensuring that such is used in full compliance with applicable laws and IREP policies and only related to IREP business.
Suppliers shall comply with all relevant laws and regulations governing proprietary information and safeguard all information received by IREP by ensuring that such information is used only for authorized purposes, only shared with authorized persons and is properly and securely maintained. Suppliers with access to such information or any other information which is determined to be confidential information or confidential personally identifiable information shall consult with the IREP Business to whom they are providing products or services with any questions regarding appropriate uses of such IREP information.
Data protection and privacy
IREP is committed to protecting the reasonable privacy expectations of personal information of everyone IREP does business with, including suppliers, clients, consumers, and other people and organizations, ensuring that such information is used in full compliance with applicable laws and only related to IREP business.
Suppliers shall comply with applicable privacy and information security laws and associated regulatory requirements as well as with the IREP privacy and security policies when personal information is collected, stored, processed, disclosed, transferred and/or shared.
Implementation
Suppliers shall take appropriate steps to ensure that the principles of this Code are communicated to their employees and throughout their own supply chains. Suppliers shall also take appropriate steps to ensure that the principles of this Code are adopted and applied by their employees, suppliers, agents and contractors to the extent applicable.
Suppliers shall establish processes or mechanisms where employees can raise issues of concern without fear of reprisals or negative repercussions.
IREP reserves the right to carry out the controls that it deems necessary to ensure that this Code is respected throughout its Supply Chain. This may include self-assessments, IREP audits, and third-party audits of Suppliers.
In the foreseeable future, reporting requirements on the relevant actions a Supplier takes both within their own operations and their supply chain, will become necessary. It is the policy of IREP to incorporate the principles of this Code into any agreement between a Supplier and IREP.
This Code will be updated regularly to keep it relevant based on feedback from internal and external stakeholders.