Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct represents the commitment of Swedish Match and of all employees to conduct business activities in a responsible manner and consistent with applicable laws and regulations.
Below are extracts from the Code of Conduct and a link to a PDF of the entire document.
Extracts from the Code of Conduct
The Code applies to all employees within the Swedish Match Group, regardless of location or role.
Companies in which Swedish Match has a substantial interest (such as a joint venture or an associated company) are expected to conduct their business in line with the spirit and main principles outlined in this Code. This also holds true for other business partners such as suppliers, distributors and consultants.
The Code consists of a number of topics related to the following four areas:
Our people
Employment and labor practices
Swedish Match respects its employees and their human rights, and supports internationally proclaimed human rights conventions and guidelines wherever we operate. Our policy on human rights and employment practices is based on local and international labor laws, recommended practices and guidelines.1)
- We respect, support and fully observe international human and labor rights.
- We are committed to maintaining a workplace free of harassment and discrimination.
- We make employment-related decisions based on objective and non-discriminatory criteria.
- We do not accept child labor or any form of forced or compulsory labor, slavery or torture.
- We respect every employee’s rights and freedom to join or form (non-violent) assembly or associations.
Our business
Ethical business practices
Swedish Match is committed to sound business ethics in all our business activities and relations with stakeholders, both within our own operations but also with regard to outside parties. We build relationships through honesty and integrity and we respect the laws and regulations in the countries in which we operate.
- We always act in a manner that does not conflict with the interests of Swedish Match.
- We do not engage in fraudulent or corrupt practices.
- We do not accept anything that could be construed as giving, offering or taking a bribe.
- We ensure that relationships with governments and other outside parties are open and transparent.
- We treat our customers, suppliers and business contacts fairly.
- We encourage our local operations and employees to make a positive contribution to their communities.
- We support free and fair competition and fully comply with competition laws.
- We market our products to customers and consumers in a legal and responsible manner.
Our environment
Practices and internal procedures
Swedish Match promotes sound changes that reduce environmental impacts caused by our operations and we encourage our employees to be conscious and proactive in minimizing these impacts. We undertake programs to continuously improve our environmental performance.
- Two imporant environmental aspects (Reduce Greenhouse Gases and Reduce Waste) are specifically identified as focus areas within our groupwide sustainability efforts.
- We always strive to comply with mandatory legal requirements for all activities and processes carried out on Swedish Match’s sites.
- We shall regularly review our operations with a view towards energy conservation and minimizing adverse impacts on the environment.
- We regularly monitor and measure all environmentally significant emissions to water, air and land, endeavoring to continuously improve our environmental performance.
- Our ambition is that all major production units shall adhere to the principles of ISO 14001.
- We encourage greater eco-efficiency in all facilities, e.g. to minimize ecological damage while maximizing efficiency in all our production processes.
Our job and workplace
Practices and important procedures
Swedish Match is committed to responsible and safe practices and procedures in all business activities both on the job and in the workplace. We promote a working environment with high standards of ethics and morale, where our employees respect and care for one another, Swedish Match as well as the environment.
- We promote the safety, health and wellbeing of our employees.
- We strive for a safe and secure working environment.
- We focus on and invest in developing our employees’ skills and talents.
- We treat our assets and property respectfully and do not accept fraudulent behavior.
- We are cost conscious when travelling and/or when engaging in procurement activities.
- We communicate with our stakeholders clearly and promptly, while safeguarding confidential information.
- We use our information systems in a responsible manner.
- We maintain accurate and complete business records and reports.
- We consult our legal departments on matters that likely have the potential for legal risks.
Read the Code of Conduct in PDF.
1) The international conventions and guidelines referred to here are the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the eight ILO Core Conventions (Nos. 87, 98, 29, 105, 100, 111, 138 and 182), and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Corporations.
