Let's be transparent
The Transparency Act
The purpose of the Transparency Act is to promote companies’ respect for basic human rights and decent working conditions in connection with the production of goods and services. The law shall ensure transparency about supply chains and requires companies such as Viking to carry out and publicly report on our due diligence assessments
Ethical guidelines
Viking has undertaken to respect people, animals, society, and the environment through our guidelines for responsible business practices. The guidelines have been developed in collaboration with Ethical Trade Norway and anchored in the management at Viking, as well as signed by the CEO and chairman jointly. Our Head of Sustainability is responsible for revising the guidelines annually. These guidelines, including our Code of Conduct and Impact Roadmap 2030, form the basis for our sustainability work.
Our Code of Conduct address human rights, working conditions, animal welfare, environmental protection, and anti-corruption. The guidelines are based on internationally recognized UN and ILO conventions, as well as our self-defined risk areas based on our due diligence assessments and set a minimum standard for our suppliers. Where national laws and regulations cover a topic that is also defined in our Code of Conduct, the higher standard shall apply.
You can read our guidelines for responsible business practices here
You can read our Code of Conduct here
Open supplier lists and long-term collaborations
Viking invest in long-term relationships with our suppliers. We have worked with 67% of our first-hand suppliers for over 10 years. The collaboration between Viking and our suppliers is based on transparency and close communication, and we have had open supplier lists since 2016.
Factory visits and inspections
Since 2003, amfori BSCI has empowered companies to improve their social performance within their supply chains and create impactful change. At Viking, we initiate annual BSCI audits at our first-hand suppliers’ manufacturing facilities. When the BSCI reports become available, they are routinely reviewed with members of the factory management, in addition to in visits by Viking’s employees.
Our first-hand suppliers are required to create a corrective action plan (CAP) for all significant findings following the annual BSCI audits at production sites. If any of the findings from the audits are severe, the suppliers must act immediately. If the corrective action plan is not satisfactory, the supplier is required to order a new audit within 3 months.
BSCI audits at Viking’s first-hand suppliers address the following topics, which include Viking’s Code of Conduct, as well as internationally recognized conventions (UN and ILO):
Responsible Social Management Systems
The Involvement and Protection of Workers
The Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
Discrimination Free Workplace
Fair Remuneration
Decent Working Hours
Occupational Health and Safety
Ban of the use of Child Labour
Special Protection for Young Workers.
Ethical Employment Standards
Ban of the use of Bonded Labour
Protection of the Environment
Due diligence assessments
The work with due diligence assessments is currently organized under purchasing and sourcing. Since 2022, Viking has carried out annual due diligence assessments to map the risk of negative impact on people, animals, society, and the environment in our supply chain. Through our membership in Ethical Trade Norway, we have committed ourselves to carry out due diligence assessments based on the UN’s Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGP) and the OECD’s guidelines for responsible business. The method for due diligence assessments consists of 6 steps that describe how we as a company should work towards a more sustainable business practice.
If Viking sees a risk of situations or activities that could have a negative impact in our supply chain, we have a responsibility to try to stop, prevent or reduce negative consequences on basic human rights and decent working conditions that our company is linked to directly or indirectly. The measures we initiate must be monitored and assessed for their effect and communicated to those affected. If our activities cause or contribute to negative impact on people, society, or the environment, we will restore the damage, or cooperate to restore the damage. Through our Code of Conduct, we require our suppliers to follow the same approach. Where the supplier is responsible for the negative impact/damage, the supplier is also responsible for recovery.
Own business
Overall risk in own operations is considered low. This is mainly because we have thorough handbooks within HSE, personnel, management and operations that describe routines and guidelines that all employees are introduced to, through courses and staff meetings. We also use the engagement tool Eletive where all employees, each quarter, answer anonymously to a limited number of questions related to the working environment.
Identified areas with significant risk, as well as implemented and planned measures:
Low proportion of women in our management positions.
We have worked deliberately to get more women in our management positions. From 2024, we have established a more diverse board and management team. Diversity and inclusion are an ongoing work and focus within our recruitment processes.
Our suppliers
The overall risk with our suppliers ranges from low to medium and is based on Viking’s mapping and identifying of risks in our supply chain. Viking have used social audits from a third party (Amfori BSCI), a self-assessment form for our direct suppliers, and Ethical Trade Norway’s Salient Risk Tool with both their and Viking’s own source references in this work.
Identified areas with significant risk, as well as implemented and planned measures:
Lack of functioning management systems for social responsibility
Findings from our social audits show a lack of management systems for social responsibility at our primary suppliers. We are in the process of mapping what expertise or support each individual supplier needs to create a management system, and whether this is something Viking employees can contribute directly, or whether there is a need for training and guidance via a third party.
PFAS substances are linked to risks on human health and the environment
The release of PFAS substances is linked to risks on human health and the environment. We are therefore phasing out Durable Water Resistant (DWR) treatments and membranes containing PFAS-substances from all production during 2024-2025. We will also carry out chemical tests of zips and other smaller components to ensure that these are also PFAS-free in 2024.
Annual account
Viking reports annually on sustainable business practices to Ethical Trade Norway. The report has been prepared in accordance with the requirements set out in the Transparency Act and forms the basis for our annual account. The report has been read and signed by the company’s board.
It is our Asia office that is operationally responsible for the implementation of our annual BSCI audits and non-conformance management, as well as follow-up of the risk areas we have identified in the action plan. Viking’s strategies and plans for sustainable business practices are followed up through meetings throughout the year, as well as through an open line of communication between the general manager and those operationally responsible.
You can see our action plan for the risk areas we have mapped here
You can read our due diligence assessments for 2023 here
Previously published due diligence assessments: 2022
Notification channel
As part of our due diligence efforts, Viking has established a notification channel. The notification channel is available for external parties, and for any negative activity that may occur in our supply chain. Blowing the whistle is positive because it can contribute to the positive development of Viking.
To ensure the confidentiality of the whistleblower, Viking has established an agreement with an independent third party to receive whistleblower reports. The service is operated by the consulting company HR-huset AS, which will ensure that your report is processed in a responsible manner. Once you have sent the report, it will be handled by a case manager at HR-huset AS. In this way, you can remain anonymous if you wish.
You can use the e-mail in the link to report cases you may come across.
Do you have questions?
If you cannot find the information you are looking for or would like additional information, please feel free to contact us at viking@vikingfootwear.com.