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Vitacon Code of Conduct

Vitacon provides innovative and specialized medical ultrasound diagnostic solutions
that empower healthcare providers to improve and extend patients quality of life.
Vitacon engaged employees proactively identify and advance in areas that provide optimal values to
the customer, supporting the customer in bringing the best solution to the medical clinical field.
Our corporate culture is guided by our Core Values:

  • We treat each other with respect
  • We practice open, real communication.
  • We do listen, and we do respond
  • We face the challenges with optimism
  • We do what we say we’ll do.
  • We innovate and constantly improve.

Vitacon Core Values

Passion: Vitacon operates in an environment of respect and trust. We experience when people operate in an environment of trust, they feel safe and empowered to be the best versions of themselves. Our people are passionate about what they do. Participation and actively sharing responsibilities and outcomes, each member can find their own way while being driven to deliver for the team. Passion in our team, brings excellence to the table.

Empathy: brings forth qualities of warmth and strength together. Compassion has great merits since it allows a us to perceive things from another individual’s perspective. Too many people tend to see things from their own point of view without caring why someone feels as they do. Vitacon believes that empathy enables both productivity and satisfaction within the company as well as with partners. Once you understand the why behind the perspective, you can more effectively see new things you might not have without compassion.

Innovation: Vitacon evolve openness to serve the change and encourage ideas for improvement at all levels. We do determine if the positives outweigh the negatives before saying no, and we are willing to test new ideas. By being open-minded new ideas flow and the business tell us what it needs. We readily accept exciting challenges and constantly question traditional approaches in the pursuit of new, superior solutions. Interaction with academic institutions and the scientific community is encouraged, together with the sharing of information relating to benefits which can be derived from our latest research.

Customers: We listen and respond
Our business focuses on finding advanced and cost-effective solutions to
meet our customers’ operational requirements. We are proud of our customer responsiveness, standards of service, enthusiasm for and understanding of their business needs. Our objective
is always to be considered more as a partner. Our communications with our customers are open and honest. We pride ourselves on being technically clear, accurate and forthcoming. We particularly value and support long-term customer relationships in which mutual trust thrives and successful business flourishes. With our suppliers we work in partnership to ensure that customers receive value for money.  The highest quality standards and timeliness are integral parts of our supply chain in our delivery of products and services.
In all circumstances, we make sure that our actions towards and relationship with our business partners are in full compliance with law and regulations, regardless of the complexity or difficulty. The company’s head office will make sure that all employees are well informed and trained to abide by applicable laws and regulations.

Teamwork: Our major strength
As a business we gain strength by leveraging the talents and creativity of
our employees through co-operation and teamwork. We draw on the different backgrounds of our employees and the number of centres of excellence around the world to enrich debate and promote strong, international understanding.  We encourage the sharing of knowledge and recognize that employees are supportive of their colleagues, helping and guiding others to create a trusting, enjoyable and committed environment. Our leadership style is to state our operational objectives in a clear and decisive way, within a sensitive and responsible context. We acknowledge that our business success is a direct result of building and nurturing strong teamwork.

Vitacon Expectation for Partners

  • Social Responsibility
  • Environmental responsibility
  • Ethical Practices
  • Governance

Vitacon associates are expected to follow these values in all aspects of business. Vitacon strongly believes in balancing the “the bottom line”, achieving strong economic performance, promoting environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

Vitacon wants to develop relationships with partners who follow the expectations set forth in this document. Vitacon will work with partners, distributors, suppliers, customers to establish action plans to assist them in conforming with any expectation that is deemed to be in need of improvement. By communicating these Expectations, Vitacon is not conferring on any third party’s rights, remedies or obligations.

In all below chapters the term “partner” refers to supplier and/or distributor.

Social Responsibility

Child Labour
All workers must be at least the minimum working age, but not less than 14 years, regardless of local laws or regulations. Workers exposed to conditions that are hazardous to health and safety must be at least 18 years old and must use the appropriate personal protective equipment.

Forced Labour
All workers may join and leave a Suppliers’ employment of their own free will, provided they comply with any advance notice required by local law. Suppliers shall not use involuntary labour of any kind, including slave labour, indentured/debt labour, forced labour or prison labour for profit-making enterprises. Suppliers shall not require monetary deposits or retain identity papers or work permits as a condition of work.

Workplace
Supplier shall provide all workers with access to a safe and healthy workplace including, but not limited to, accessible and clean toilets, safe drinking water, sanitary facilities for food storage and adequate fire exits. Suppliers are expected to have a worker health and safety program addressing physical, chemical and biological hazards in the workplace.

Equal Opportunities
Partners shall provide equal opportunity to all applicants and workers without regard to race, religion, age, gender, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status or any other status protected under applicable law.

Abuse
Workers shall not be subjected to corporal punishment, mental coercion, physical contact, sexual coercion, verbal abuse or the use of gestures, language or graphic materials that are
threatening, abusive or exploitive.

Work Hours and Compensation
Work hours shall be following applicable laws and standards. Overtime shall be administered and compensated fairly and in accordance with local laws. All wages and fringe benefits must be clearly defined and meet legal and industry minimums. Except to the extent permitted by applicable law, deductions from wages as a disciplinary measure are not permitted.

Health and Safety
Partners shall provide a safe and healthy working environment. Supplier should strive to have in place a formal health and safety program that addresses accident prevention and reporting as well as emergency preparedness and response.

Freedom of Association
Partners shall support the freedom of association and the rights of workers and employers to bargain collectively.

Environmental Stewardship

Regulatory Compliance
Partners shall comply with all country and local environmental regulations for the regions in which they operate.

Emissions & Discharges
Partners will measure and report, in accordance with regional requirements, water and air discharges into the environment. Partners should strive to look for ways to reduce these emissions.

Conservation
Partners should actively work to reduce the consumption of energy, water and other non-renewable natural resources.

Regulated Substances
Partners will have adequate systems in place designed to identify and disclose to Vitacon all chemicals in their products and product sub-components that are regulated by the governments and/or competent authorities in the regions where they are being used and are deemed hazardous, toxic or carcinogenic. These regulations include, but are not limited to:

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) – design of electric components to reduce waste and facilitate disassembly for recycling.

Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) – chemicals, substances and intermediates above certain volumes and/or containing substances of very high concern (SVHC) must be registered if manufactured in the EU and/or placed in the EU market.

Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) – hazardous substances contained in electrical products.

Conflict Minerals – tantalum, tungsten, tin, gold and any derivatives that originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or an adjoining country.

Materials of special interest to Vitacon include but are not limited to: carcinogens, BFR (brominated fire retardants), Phthalates, heavy metals and persistent bio-accumulative and toxic materials.

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle
Partners will strive to reduce, reuse and recycle material within their manufacturing operations. Recycling processes will employ closed-loop systems wherever possible to achieve maximal use of a material or product. Hazardous waste will be properly handled, stored and disposed of in accordance with local regulations.

Transportation Logistics
Partners will optimize transportation strategies in order to minimize the environmental footprint of all products shipped. This includes consideration of transportation modes and distances as well as packaging material types and quantities.

Life Cycle Analysis
Partners will strive to optimize the environmental performance of their products and operations through a life cycle analysis approach for products, processes and/or services.

Ethical Practices

Fair Dealing
Vitacon endeavours to deal fairly with Partners in accordance with ethical business practices. We expect that our partners do the same in dealing with Vitacon.

Conflicts of Interest
Vitacon associates or members of their immediate family cannot work for Vitacon partners unless such potential conflicts of interest are disclosed and addressed.

Anti-corruption
Vitacon prohibits payment or acceptance of bribes or kickbacks, or any other transaction that creates the impression of impropriety. Vitacon also expects the same of Partners.

Supplier Relations
Vitacon buys solely upon quality, performance, suitability of the product or service, and cost. Vitacon does not accept expensive gifts or entertainment from Suppliers.

Compliance with Applicable Laws
Vitacon expects Partner to comply fully with all applicable laws, including but not limited to all applicable international trade laws affecting the transfer of goods, services, software and technology across national borders, (including economic sanctions, export controls and anti-boycott regulations), all applicable healthcare laws and all applicable anticorruption laws. Suppliers must not be ineligible to participate in the U.S. federal health care programs or U.S. federal procurement or non-procurement programs. Partners must also not be on the U.S. General Services Administration’s List of Parties Excluded from Federal Programs (epls.arnet.gov) or the USHHS/OIG List of Excluded Individuals / Entities (www.hhs.gov/oig).

Confidentiality
Partner shall safeguard Vitacon’s confidential and proprietary information and ensure that Vitacon, worker, customer and patient privacy rights are protected.

Animal Welfare
Partner shall strive to ensure that animals are treated humanely. Animal testing should be performed after consideration of the following: replacing animals, reducing the numbers of animals used, or refining procedures to minimize distress. Alternative means of testing should be used whenever scientifically valid and acceptable to regulators.

Environmental Stewardship

  • Continuous Improvement

Sub-suppliers
Partners shall have a program to provide that their own suppliers meet expectations consistent with those set out in this document.

Documentation
Partners shall maintain documentation necessary to demonstrate conformance with these Expectations and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. This documentation must be made available for Vitacon’s review upon request.

Management Systems
Partners shall have a training program to ensure an appropriate level of knowledge, skills and abilities to meet these Expectations.

Assessment
Partners shall notify Vitacon immediately if they, or their suppliers, fail to comply with these Expectations. Partners shall authorize Vitacon or an independent third party to conduct site inspections, with or without notice, audits and/or surveys to confirm adherence to the Expectations set forth in this document. Failure to meet these Expectations may result in a change in the business relationship between Vitacon and the Partner. Notwithstanding the above, Vitacon assumes no duty or obligation to audit or review Partner`s compliance with these Expectations and assumes no liability or responsibility for the actions or omissions of Partner.

REF:

  • Vitacon Business Conduct and Compliance Guide
  • Vitacon Corporate Safety and Environmental Policy
  • Pharmaceutical Industry Principles for Responsible Supply Chain Management
  • Social Accountability International SA8000
  • UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Vitacon is dedicated to continuous improvement to reduce variation and eliminate waste.

Vitacon encourages Partners to work with us on Lean Six Sigma projects at their facilities.
(Define- Measure- Analyze- Improve and Control)

For additional information or guidance on these Expectations, please contact Vitacon organization at support@vitacon.com. If you wish to report actions inconsistent with these Expectations, you may contact Vitacon Europe: 0047 73821300 – Vitacon US: 800-757-8450

Vitacon AS
December 2018