The purpose of this report on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is to present an overview of the goals, activities and results that have helped us live up to our social responsibility in 2020. VIKING’s CSR strategy is rooted in the principles of the UN Global Compact and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The structure of our CSR report is based on the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). This report constitutes VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S’s statutory report on social responsibility for the 2020 financial year. The report is part of the management review in the company’s annual report for 2020. Contents CEO statement 02 A sustainable approach 05 Focus areas 06 Saving lives 08 Ethics & governance 12 Resources 16 Workplace 32 Communities 24 Goals and progress 2020 27
CEO statement Welcome to our Corporate Social Responsibility Report for 2020. It is difficult to look back on the year without discussing the Covid-19 pandemic, which impacted every aspect of our business operations as well as our climate footprint on the surrounding environment. We drove less and we traveled less to comply with restrictions implemented by governments around the world to control the spread of the virus. The long-term effects will become evident as we actively and systematically collect our experiences from the Covid-19 crisis and incorporate the findings into our processes and approaches going forward. Our global presence ensures that we are always close to our customers and can service them, even when the conditions change drastically and rapidly. We do not want to bar ourselves from the opportunity to meet with our partners in face-toface meetings, but we will limit these meetings in cases where it makes sense for both parties. 2020 was the year that we implemented the ISO 50001 energy management system in Denmark. This system enables us to map and reduce our energy consumption and thereby our emissions. In 2021, the system will be implemented globally where it is most relevant and where the impacts will be the greatest. We also made changes to our organization in 2020, partly with a view to ensuring effective global standards throughout VIKING’s value chain. Quality is a top priority in every aspect of our operations – and it also shapes our approach to safety. All employees contribute to the creation and maintenance of a safety culture that can further reduce the incidence of workplace accidents. VIKING does not simply want to meet the minimum requirements of the rules and standards in the field of CSR. As the leading global supplier of maritime safety and fire-fighting equipment, we are deeply aware of our responsibility to take the lead. We do this in many different ways, including by sharing our deep knowledge and decades of experience in maritime safety solutions, and by participating in the development and continued improvement of international and national rules, standards and guidelines in the maritime sector. We work openly and with transparency to ensure fair competition based on the highest standards. VIKING Safety Academy is an example of our commitment to leading the way and raising the international standards for training maritime personnel. In keeping with the limitations of our times, this training is conducted as a combination of e-learning and hands-on exercises conducted in our facilities or in collaboration with our partners. The basic modules of these training courses are provided free of charge for maritime customers to promote and improve safety. VIKING takes a multifaceted approach to CSR: ensuring that suppliers observe human and labor rights, reducing our environmental impact, supporting local communities, fighting corruption, operating an ethical business and – above all – saving lives at sea. Henrik Uhd Christensen CEO, VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S DKK millions Net revenue Operating profit Assets Equity Average number of employees Figure 1: Five-year business overview 2016 1858 185 1660 923 2013 2017 1834 183 1555 971 1874 2018 2016 155 2311 1013 2212 2019 2767 205 2611 1113 2921 2020 2583 169 2378 1074 2914