Finally, we have identified one material negative, potential impact related to other work-related rights, covering child labor and forced labor, where we assess the potentially impacted workers to be either children working in non-certified mineral mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and surrounding countries or bonded workers in regions with systemic forced labor. This potential impact also leads to a material potential financial risk, as non-compliance with forced labor legislation could potentially prohibit us from selling goods in certain markets, leading to a significant revenue loss.

Finally, we have identified one material negative, potential impact related to other work-related rights, covering child labor and forced labor, where we assess the potentially impacted workers to be either children working in non-certified mineral mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and surrounding countries or bonded workers in regions with systemic forced labor. This potential impact also leads to a material potential financial risk, as non-compliance with forced labor legislation could potentially prohibit us from selling goods in certain markets, leading to a significant revenue loss.

We have identified six negative, potential impacts related to our own workforce, defined as all GN employees. Overall, these impacts reflect our business model, which depends on human input as a vital resource for all our key activities in our own operations: hearing aid component assembly in Denmark, manufacturing of hearing aids in China and Malaysia, final assembly of hearing aids in regional operational centers, R&D and product testing, sales and external collaboration, and white-collar back-office functions. Within this assessment, we established that the most helpful grouping principle for the sake of applying impacts to specific employee categories to be blue-collar employees at major manufacturing sites on the one hand and white-collar and all other blue-collar employees on the other. Given that all white-collar-related potential impacts also apply to blue-collar employees, in this report, we report on the management of impacts either for blue-collar workers at major manufacturing sites or all GN employees.

Reflecting that GN is a global company with blue and white-collar employees spread across different geographies, we have six IROs related to our own workforce, all of which are impacts (see pages 52-53). Three of the IROs are related to working conditions, specifically addressing negative impacts in terms of working time, adequate wages, and health & safety. The other three IROs relate to equal treatment and opportunities, including equal pay, harassment, and diversity. The IROs are considered in terms of all GN employees, however negative impacts related to health and safety are particularly relevant for blue-collar employees at our major manufacturing sites. Disclosures on employee engagement and remediation and channels for raising concerns are relevant to all IROs, while the disclosures on human and labor rights refer to the material impacts linked to health & safety, diversity and anti-harassment.

GN is committed to ensuring that human rights are safeguarded and that we manage our material sustainability matters related to value chain workers. Our human rights policy commitments cover all value chain workers across all geographies in which we operate to enable identification, assessment, and management, or remediation of our material IROs. GN is committed to the UN’s principles of responsible business, having been a signatory of the UN Global Compact since 2010. Over the last reporting period, we have observed no cases of non-respect to these principles involving value chain workers in our upstream or downstream value chain. To address our human rights policy commitments, GN has introduced a number of initiatives and due diligence processes to ensure we are able to engage with value chain workers or their proxies and representatives to take measures enabling remedy of our negative impacts. Furthermore, we strive to set policy commitments that inform GN’s overall strategy and work in this area, ensuring we take into account the interests, views, and rights of workers in the value chain.

GN is committed to ensuring that human rights are safeguarded and that we manage our material sustainability matters related to value chain workers. Our human rights policy commitments cover all value chain workers across all geographies in which we operate to enable identification, assessment, and management, or remediation of our material IROs. GN is committed to the UN’s principles of responsible business, having been a signatory of the UN Global Compact since 2010. Over the last reporting period, we have observed no cases of non-respect to these principles involving value chain workers in our upstream or downstream value chain. To address our human rights policy commitments, GN has introduced a number of initiatives and due diligence processes to ensure we are able to engage with value chain workers or their proxies and representatives to take measures enabling remedy of our negative impacts. Furthermore, we strive to set policy commitments that inform GN’s overall strategy and work in this area, ensuring we take into account the interests, views, and rights of workers in the value chain.

GN is committed to ensuring that human rights are safeguarded and that we manage our material sustainability matters related to value chain workers. Our human rights policy commitments cover all value chain workers across all geographies in which we operate to enable identification, assessment, and management, or remediation of our material IROs. GN is committed to the UN’s principles of responsible business, having been a signatory of the UN Global Compact since 2010. Over the last reporting period, we have observed no cases of non-respect to these principles involving value chain workers in our upstream or downstream value chain. To address our human rights policy commitments, GN has introduced a number of initiatives and due diligence processes to ensure we are able to engage with value chain workers or their proxies and representatives to take measures enabling remedy of our negative impacts. Furthermore, we strive to set policy commitments that inform GN’s overall strategy and work in this area, ensuring we take into account the interests, views, and rights of workers in the value chain.

GN is committed to ensuring that human rights are safeguarded and that we manage our material sustainability matters related to value chain workers. Our human rights policy commitments cover all value chain workers across all geographies in which we operate to enable identification, assessment, and management, or remediation of our material IROs. GN is committed to the UN’s principles of responsible business, having been a signatory of the UN Global Compact since 2010. Over the last reporting period, we have observed no cases of non-respect to these principles involving value chain workers in our upstream or downstream value chain. To address our human rights policy commitments, GN has introduced a number of initiatives and due diligence processes to ensure we are able to engage with value chain workers or their proxies and representatives to take measures enabling remedy of our negative impacts. Furthermore, we strive to set policy commitments that inform GN’s overall strategy and work in this area, ensuring we take into account the interests, views, and rights of workers in the value chain.

The policy states our human rights policy commitments on value chain workers specifically addressing respect for human rights, including labor rights, of workers and the abolition of child labor, as well as other forms of forced labor. It also covers GN’s commitment to prevent child or forced labor in any of our own or our business partners’ operations. GN’s Supplier Code of Conduct, also covers all 9 IROs identified under this topic. It was updated in 2023 to align with industry best practices set out by the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) and covers our engagements with all suppliers and business relationships for activities in our upstream, own operations, and downstream.

The policy states our human rights policy commitments on value chain workers specifically addressing respect for human rights, including labor rights, of workers and the abolition of child labor, as well as other forms of forced labor. It also covers GN’s commitment to prevent child or forced labor in any of our own or our business partners’ operations. GN’s Supplier Code of Conduct, also covers all 9 IROs identified under this topic. It was updated in 2023 to align with industry best practices set out by the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) and covers our engagements with all suppliers and business relationships for activities in our upstream, own operations, and downstream.