Supplier Code of Conduct

SweMaint maintains rolling stock and associated components. The company’s owners and board of directors have stated that SweMaint should set an example within sustainability.

Both SweMaint employees and our suppliers together share a responsibility for interactions with our employees, customers, suppliers, communities, and other stakeholders. We are responsible for behaving in accordance with the Code of Conduct and acting if something happens that deviate from it.

This Supplier Code of Conduct forms the foundation for all the business we conduct with our suppliers and other business partners. It applies to all the organisations with which SweMaint has a business relationship, and we expect all these organisations to comply with the requirements set out in this Code.

Dialogue

The Supplier Code of Conduct is a foundational document in SweMaint’s procurement process and establishes principles that SweMaint follows. SweMaint encourages an open dialogue on the Code and how to improve cooperation between SweMaint and business partners. The Code is therefore a recurring item on the agenda at supplier meetings. SweMaint expects its suppliers to contact SweMaint’s purchasing department if questions arise related to the terms of this Code.

Basic principles

SweMaint’s Supplier Code of Conduct is based on the company’s sustainability policy and describes the standards of behaviour expected from its business partners so that they can help SweMaint achieve its goal of being a sustainable company and role model. The Code contains parts of the sustainability policy that affect the company’s business partners. SweMaint’s sustainability policy complies with the ten principles of the UN Global Compact.

SweMaint’s business partners are expected to comply with the UN Global Compact and its ten principles regarding human rights, labour law, the environment and anti-corruption. The principles are based on the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the ILO’s fundamental conventions on human rights at the workplace. SweMaint’s business partners must also strive for continuous improvement and increased awareness of relevant sustainability issues through the exchange of experiences and self-evaluation of their operations.

Laws and regulations

All SweMaint suppliers must comply with applicable laws, ordinances, regulations, and standards. SweMaint only enters into agreements that comply with applicable laws and regulations, and the company complies with, and respects agreements entered into.

SweMaint respects and complies with competition rules, environmental legislation, labour market laws, agreements, and other regulations.

Business ethics

We at SweMaint and our suppliers must behave ethically in alignment with the values of honesty, fairness, and integrity. We ensure that all business information is treated confidentially.

Our business partners observe good business practice and act ethically within their own operations and in their own supply chains. Suppliers are expected to have effective, confidence-building cooperation with SweMaint’s customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders.

Business partners must only have commercial relationships, meaning they must act in a way that does not place SweMaint or suppliers’ own partners in a position of dependency not linked to an individual business transaction. This means that suppliers must not engage in bribery and corruption at any stage of the supply chain. Suppliers must not accept or provide undue compensation in the form of gifts, travel, representation, subsistence, services or otherwise.

Work environment and social responsibility

Workplace health and safety issues must be addressed systematically and preventively. This means that our suppliers must:

• Comply with applicable laws and regulations as intended in collective agreements or similar.
• Guarantee their employees, without exception, the right to form a trade union.
• Create the conditions for a safe and secure work environment that offers fair conditions and good health on equal terms for all employees.
• Ensure that time and cost requirements are not prioritised over safety and a good work environment.
• Prevent and address discrimination and discriminatory treatment, and promote tolerance, equal treatment, and inclusion.
• Ensure that their own employees receive regular training and development in order to provide the skills that meet SweMaint’s needs.
  

Human rights

SweMaint’s suppliers must support and respect internationally recognised human rights. SweMaint’s suppliers must not tolerate any form of child or forced labour. Child labour as defined according to UN conventions and the ILO must not occur.

Suppliers must promote gender equality and diversity. All our business partners’ employees should be treated fairly and open-mindedly. Suppliers to SweMaint must not contribute to or support any form of discrimination based on gender, marital status, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, religious belief, political affiliation, age, disability or any other ground of protection under applicable law. Measures must be taken to protect employees from being discriminated against, harassed, insulted or abused.

The environment

Our suppliers must respect international and national environmental laws and regulations and ensure that they obtain all the permits necessary for operating their business. Suppliers must apply the precautionary principle of environmental risks to avoid or limit the foreseeable environmental impact of their operations. Our suppliers must:

• Be aware of their environmental impact and continuously work on improving environmental actions in their operations.
• Work to minimise emissions and discharges to the air, soil and water as well as promote an efficient use of resources.
• All in all, SweMaint’s suppliers are expected to create a well-functioning, sustainable and safe delivery to SweMaint through their operations.
  

Compliance and follow-up

When performing assignments for SweMaint, each SweMaint supplier must follow this Supplier Code of Conduct and ensure that the Code is communicated to and complied with by all its employees and downstream suppliers in the supply chain. This Code applies to all business partners who supply products, staff, or services to SweMaint, including material suppliers, service providers, contractors and consultants.

This Code is included as a contractual document in the agreements entered. If no written agreement has been signed, a supplier’s provision of goods, staff or services, approval of SweMaint’s purchase order or issuing of an invoice constitutes the supplier’s approval to comply with the Supplier Code of Conduct.  

If a supplier violates the Supplier Code of Conduct and does not remedy the identified infringement upon written request and within the timeframe set by SweMaint, SweMaint has the right to terminate the business cooperation. An unremedied breach of the Code is always considered to constitute a material breach of contract within the framework of the business contract.

SweMaint has the right to carry out audits related to the Code at the supplier’s premises. If necessary, the audit can also be extended to downstream suppliers. The supplier must assist in these audits and also ensure the possibility of auditing its own supply chain. SweMaint can engage independent third parties to carry out audits. Such a third party will be paid for by SweMaint.

Whistleblowing function

To ensure that SweMaint suppliers can report irregularities and misconduct in a secure manner, SweMaint has established a whistleblowing function that is managed by an external party. The whistleblowing function should be used for reporting serious irregularities and misconduct, such as bribery or corruption, conflict of interest, financial fraud, environmental crime, security deficiencies, serious forms of discrimination, bullying and harassment. For more information about SweMaint’s whistleblowing function, see https://www.swemaint.se/en/about/whistleblowing.

Comments regarding minor offences or general dissatisfaction and complaints should be reported to SweMaint’s purchasing department and managed through SweMaint’s regular reporting channels.