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The way we act as company is reflected in how we connect with employees, users, customers, third parties and other stakeholders. We take a proactive approach to business ethics to ensure we behave as a company we can be proud of.

Our business ethics programme reflects our commitment to a high level business ethics and lays the foundation for Demant’s larger sustainability agenda. We strive to act responsibly and we are committed to operating our business in accordance with the law and the minimum standards set in our Code of Conduct.

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Providing code of conduct training to highly exposed employees

2030 target
100%

2024 performance
76%

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Business Ethics Days further educates our champions on business ethics compliance
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Launch of e-learning for global Code of Conduct and Whistleblower scheme – in 11 languages
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Update of Gifts & Hospitality Guidelines by adding country-specific appendices
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Launch of Sustain, a supplier engagement programme for our Hearing Aids business area

The Demant Group Code of Conduct reflects our commitment to a high level of business ethics and is the overarching ethics compliance document for our Group. The Code of Conduct outlines the behaviour we expect of our employees and external stakeholders.

 

Scan the QR code and download the Code of Conduct Compliance App

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Beyond our Code of Conduct, our business ethics programme covers the global whistleblower hotline – find more details below. It also contains a portfolio of global programmes with relevant policies, guidelines, processes, tools, risk assessments, training and advice.
 
 
Find all policies and guidelines in the document library.  
 
 
whistleblower-app

The global whistleblower hotline enables employees, business partners and other stakeholders to report their concerns about serious and sensitive actions in a confidential and anonymous manner.

Read more here Read less

What concerns should be reported?
We encourage employees and others to raise their concerns about serious and sensitive improper actions that:

  • fail to comply with the Demant Code of Conduct,
  • fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations, and/or
  • jeopardise the health and safety of our employees


if such actions are relevant for the Demant Group or an individual Demant company.
This channel is meant to improve and increase transparency, both within and outside the organisation.

The global whistleblower hotline enables employees, business partners and other stakeholders to report their concerns about
serious and sensitive actions in a confidential and anonymous manner.

Examples of misconduct:

  • Conflicts of interest, corruption – including payment of bribery or facilitation payments, unethical donations, inappropriate
    gifts and entertainment to and from business partners, public officials, healthcare professionals or via third parties acting on
    behalf of Demant – human rights violations or failure to protect privacy and personal data.
  • Accounting issues and fraud, such as theft of Demant assets, embezzlement of Demant funds, vendor fraud, kickbacks
    and accounting manipulation.
  • Breaches of antitrust, including actions that could lead to abuse of a dominant market position.
  • Breaches of environmental laws and regulations, including illegal disposal of waste.
  • Serious management misbehaviour, including sexual harassment.
  • Other serious offences or misconduct.

What is outside the scope of the Hotline?
You should not make false accusations. Concerns arising from disagreements with colleagues or practical complaints related to
your individual employment or concerning for instance equipment, office environment, salary or holiday issues fall outside the scope
and should be addressed to HR, your direct manager or a grandparent (manager’s manager). Product complaints also fall outside the scope.

How to report your concern
The Whistleblower Hotline is a global hotline reporting system operated by an external systems provider, EQS.

If you wish to file a report, click on the link below. You can choose from multiple language options.

It is also possible to file a report via the Demant Business Ethics app.



How does it work? Watch the instruction video below




When you file a report, you will get a file number and be asked to create a password. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt
of your report within seven days. We encourage you to follow up on your report to verify your reporting and to check whether we have
additional questions to help us in our evaluation of your report. We will provide feedback within a reasonable timeframe – in general,
within three months.

If you reside in the EU, you have the option to use an alternative external national reporting channel managed by a competent authority
in your country. In Denmark, the external whistleblower reporting channel is the Danish Data Protection Agency.

Demant does not tolerate discrimination or retaliation against persons making a report in good faith.

Anonymity and confidentiality
If you identify yourself, Demant will - to the extent possible - ensure that your identity is not disclosed. Identifying yourself makes it
easier for us to investigate the report, ask for further information, provide feedback and protect you from retaliation. Your name and
identity will be kept confidential and will only be shared with a potential investigation team that is bound by confidentiality obligations
and is trained to safeguard whistleblower reports, which includes protecting privacy and information. Demant will process personal
data in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

A quality mindset

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We work with quality to sustain the high standards and reliability of our products and to ensure the safety of our customers and users. This is crucial to our purpose of making life-changing differences through hearing health.

We ensure that the Group complies with relevant regulations related to specific substances. Quality management is defined in quality policies for the Hearing Aids and Diagnostics business areas.

We mitigate risks associated with quality and safety by Biological Safety Evaluation and use ISO10993 as a guiding standard. We evaluate materials in skin contact in accordance with the standard and when necessary, we perform animal testing according to ISO10993-10 while evaluating whether chemical extraction and characterization is deemed sufficient instead. These tests are conducted by external partners.

We have clinical validation and  marketing processes in place to deliver clear communication to our customers and users, ensuring that we conduct responsible marketing all the way from headquarters to local markets.

Zooming in on data privacy

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We handle personal data of our employees, customers, users, business partners and other stakeholders with the utmost care and respect, recognising its sensitive nature, especially when it comes to hearing health information. Protecting the confidentiality and integrity of the data we manage is among our top compliance priorities and we work to safeguard personal data at every stage of our data processing operations.

To achieve this, we continuously implement high-level security measures and procedures, launch and update relevant policies, run several internal initiatives including training and awareness and cooperate with the authorities if needed.

Among the internal initiatives to address the challenges of data privacy management under the EU legislation, GDPR, we have established a network of Data Privacy Champions. It comprises around 110 participants, including appointed Data Privacy Champions in various locations and employees working on privacy tasks. The network aims to share knowledge of development and best practices across different regions related to data privacy. This granular approach allows for a more effective alignment of practices and policies.

Working with suppliers

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Our commitment to caring for people reaches not only our own workforce, but also to the workers that we impact indirectly in our value chain. We work to ensure that robust processes are in place to support the protection of rights at every stage.

As a global business with suppliers all over the world, we are very aware of the importance of our interactions with them. Our Third Party Compliance Code outlines our expectations for suppliers and business partners regarding working conditions for workers in our value chain.

Our close collaboration with suppliers enables us to consistently deliver quality products in scale and thus ensure timely delivery throughout our value chain. At the same time, it allows us to assess how sustainable practices are integrated in their businesses, ensuring our business remains competitive and responsible in the long term. This collaborative approach not only helps us meet our own sustainability targets but also encourages suppliers to improve their own operations, creating a ripple effect. The engagement we pursue opens the doors to innovative solutions and builds trust and transparency.

Aware of the importance of this engagement, we launched Sustain, a supplier engagement programme for our Hearing Aids business area. This programme aims at fostering collaboration with suppliers, focusing on decarbonisation and addressing human rights impacts within our supply chain.