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.

As part of GN’s ongoing due diligence processes, we engage with value chain workers via credible proxies regarding our material impacts that are likely to affect them. All tier 1 contract manufacturers are audited every year, whereas tier 2 suppliers are audited every second year. These audits are based on the UN Global Compact principles of responsible business and the SA8000 standard, which address our material human rights impacts and risks.

During audits, we engage with management functions, such as human resources or operations, by random selection for interviews to gain insights into any work-related issues, hiring practices, and other relevant topics, particularly considering vulnerable or marginalized workers, such as minorities, persons with disabilities, and migrant workers. Following the interview, an assessment is performed to ensure working hours, treatment by superiors, safety, and salary are compliant with our standards and local legislations. Where major audit findings are evident, GN requires these to be addressed through corrective actions. Engagement during supplier audits in our upstream value chain informs our business decisions and ongoing collaboration with suppliers. We also ensure that any major findings from our engagement with value chain workers are incorporated into relevant improvement requirements for our suppliers, as well as to ensure that they comply with our Supplier Code of Conduct.