Sustainability report 2019

58

BUSINESS PRINCIPLES

RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONDUCT SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2019 – BOSKALIS WHISTLEBLOWER POLICY Boskalis has a Whistleblower Policy in place that offers employees the possibility to report suspected misconduct within the company. This includes any subject of a general, financial or operational nature which is not in line with the General Code of Business Conduct. A confidential independent counselor has been appointed for the purposes of the Whistleblower Policy. The counselor shall take the reported suspected misconduct immediately into consideration and gain information in relation thereto. Based on this information the counselor shall decide which actions are appropriate and necessary, including a possible investigation on the reported misconduct. The employee who has in good faith reported the suspected misconduct to the counselor, in accordance with the Whistleblower Policy, shall not suffer any detriment as a consequence of this notification. The Whistleblower Policy also provides for the possibility to consult a female counselor. The Whistleblower Policy was revised in early 2019 and can be found on the corporate website. SUPPLIER CODE OF CONDUCT Boskalis has a Supplier Code of Conduct, which mirrors our own internal General Code of Business Conduct. Besides considering quality, delivery reliability and price, we also select our suppliers based on sustainability criteria. The Supplier Code of Conduct is Integrity, reliability and responsibility are key elements for building trust between Boskalis and its stakeholders. These intrinsic values are reinforced by establishing guidelines and principles for responsible business conduct, and ensuring these are maintained. Boskalis has a General Code of Business Conduct, which is based on international guidelines, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We endorse the principles of the International Labour Organization (including safety on the work floor through our safety program, No Injuries, No Accidents, and the conventions of the International Labour Organization, among others related to child labor) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Boskalis accepts responsibility for matters which lie within its sphere of influence. In the countries where Boskalis operates, we are subject to national legislation and regulations. Boskalis refrains from cultural judgments and conducts itself as a good citizen or guest. We adhere to relevant international and national sanctions. Boskalis reviews its General Code of Business Conduct at least once every two years, most recently in 2018. The full text of our General Code of Business Conduct is available on our corporate website.

an integral part of all procurement contracts. By entering into a contract, suppliers commit themselves to the Boskalis Supplier Code of Conduct. This commitment is also applicable to their own suppliers. In 2019 81% of ourstrategic suppliers (by spend) endorsed the Supplier Code of Conduct, compared to 70% in 2018. Each year, we conduct an implementation scan at a cross section of approximately 10% of our strategic suppliers. Suppliers that do not meet our standards are given the chance to improve under our supervision. In the absence of sufficient progress, we will (eventually) terminate our relationship with these suppliers. More details of this risk matrix assessment and the results over the past years is described in detail on pages 60 to 61 in our sustainability report, which also includes the related non-performance indicators on amongst others human rights. In May 2019 the Dutch parliament adopted the Child Labor Due Diligence Bill, which requires companies to determine whether the risk of child labor occurs in their supply chains and set out an action plan to mitigate that risk or address it if it occurs. The date the law comes into effect has yet to be determined. Our Supplier Code of Conduct will be reviewed in 2020 as part of regular review process, which will account for this and any other relevant emerging legislation.