Sustainability and transparency

Sustainability and transparency

About us:

Brødrene Flaarønning AS is an old family business established in 1868. The company was established as a tannery and saddlery workshop. Up until the 2000s, this was an important part of our business. Today, our business is the purchase and sale of gift items and souvenirs. The souvenir market is our most important segment. We supply to most shops in Norway that sell souvenirs. In addition, we supply gift items to a number of other shops and businesses. We also export to customers in Europe and the USA.

Since the 19th century, we have been located in Ler, about 30 kilometers south of Trondheim.

We design and develop the products ourselves, while production takes place at our manufacturers around the world. Most of our manufacturers are located in the Baltics and the East.

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Board statement

Our history is rooted in local and small-scale production and trade. Today's business of sourcing and trading with large parts of the world, and a wider distribution of our products, creates other and more complex challenges related to sustainability and ethical trade.

Our focus has always been to treat people with respect and dignity, and to care for our shared environment. This is in our DNA. The board is actively working to embed this internally in our business, and in interactions with our suppliers and customers from around the world. .

Sustainability and ethical trade work will be a regular item at every board meeting, where the company's work on sustainable and ethical trade will be discussed and evaluated.

Due diligence/risk analysis:

Brødrene Flaarønning AS has defined the following risk areas and focus areas as most important for the work:

• Working conditions in countries at particular risk
• Environmental impact of transportation of goods.
• Health and environmental impact of goods in production and in use by consumers.

UN Sustainable Development Goals:

The board has decided that the following UN sustainability goals will be our focus areas;

8: Decent work and economic growth

12: Responsible consumption and production

13: Stop climate change.

Practical work

The work on sustainability and ethical trade should be an integrated part of all processes in the company. We are a member of Miljøfyrtårn and the international organization Amfori . Through Miljøfyrtårn and Amfori we have access to the necessary tools and frameworks to be able to work structured and effectively with sustainability. and ethical trade. Environmental Lighthouse and Amfori are the company's foundation and toolbox to be able to fulfill the obligations and requirements placed on us and our producers.

Ler, ………………………………

Bjarne Berg                                Anders Flaarønning

Chairman of the Board              CEO/Board member

May Skjervold                           Henrik Flaarønning

Board member                           Board member

Environmental Lighthouse

We were certified as an Environmental Lighthouse in 2022.

Miljøfyrtårn is the most prestigious certification within the field of environmental and social responsibility in Norway. Miljøfyrtårn is also the first national scheme to be recognized by the EU that follows the requirements of EMAS and ISO 14001 .

Miljøfyrtårn ensures that the company has good routines and is actively working on internal and external environmental measures, working environment and product safety. Being Miljøfyrtårn certified means being in a continuous improvement phase on everything from waste management to CO2 emissions, from physical and mental working environment, to focus on the environment and sustainability. in purchasing and product development.

Read more here: https://eco-lighthouse.org/

We became a member of Amfori in 2024.

Amfori is an international non-profit organization within ethical trade and the environment. Its focus is on human rights, sustainability and the environment in manufacturing companies around the world.

Through Amfori, our suppliers are audited in the areas of human rights, sustainability and the environment. Audits are carried out by Amfori's partners upon request from us or other member companies. Amfori has a large system for following up on production companies and helping them improve their work in safeguarding human rights, sustainability and environment.

Read more here:   https://www.amfori.org/en

Due diligence and risk assessments

Working conditions at suppliers:

Through Amfori, audits/controls are carried out on selected suppliers in vulnerable areas around the world. Independent control bodies in the Amfori system carry out physical checks at regular intervals at producers and there is a systematic framework for continuously improving the situation at the individual producer. We also get access to audits where other Amfori member companies have commissioned audits of the manufacturers we work with. This is in addition to self-declarations and audits from other bodies that we have received from our suppliers.

We are in the start-up phase of this work and we are continuously working to specify our work with Amfori, list our manufacturers in the Amfori platform and collect audits or order audits for our manufacturers.

The risk of child labor and forced labor is considered relatively low among our suppliers, but is certainly something that must be controlled and followed up continuously. General working conditions, wages and the environment in the workplace, discrimination and freedom of association are important focus areas. Corruption is difficult to control, but is not at all Not acceptable if we were to find out about it.

Environmental impact of transporting goods:

Many of the products we sell come from the East, and we are continuously working to reduce the environmental impact of the flow of goods. A CO2 account will be created for the flow of goods, and the most environmentally friendly transport methods will be chosen.

We work with several manufacturers in Europe, and aim to increase the proportion of European products in the years to come.

Health and environmental impact of goods in production and in use by consumers:

Health and environmental impact in production is part of Amfori's work. We focus strongly on testing and quality checking our products so that they do not pose a health risk to our end customers.

In recent years, we have focused on increasing the proportion of products made from natural materials. Use wool instead of polyester in textiles.

Updated January 23, 2025