Corporate Social Responsibility Policy

Date      14 November 2019
Subject  Corporate Social Responsibility Policy
To          All employees, purchase labor and sub-contractors of URSA AS and/or URSA AS

Introduction to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

CSR refers to the way in which businesses regulate themselves in order to ensure that all of their activities positively affect society as a whole. CSR policies aim to guarantee that companies work ethically, considering human rights as well as the social, economic and environmental impacts of what they do as a business. Businesses should meet, and aim to exceed, any relevant legislation, and if legislation does not exist in a particular area, the company should ensure they carry out best practices anyway. 

URSA AS and URSA AS are committed to ensuring that any business undertakings are conducted as ethically as possible by following the below policy

Who we are and what we do.

URSA AS and URSA AS are companies specialising in environmental engineering and offer a wide range of equipment and services to its clients.

Our Core Values

Integrity

We believe that nothing is more important than our reputation and behaving with the highest levels of integrity is fundamental to who we are. We demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainable, responsible business practices.

Outstanding value to clients

We play a critical role in helping the maritime industry comply with the requirements from flag states and class societies. We consider this role a privilege, and we commit to providing constant vigilance and unrelenting commitment.

Commitment to each other

We go to extraordinary lengths to support our people. We believe in nurturing our people to fully fulfil their potentials and grow into better professionals and leaders.

Strength from cultural diversity

Our clients´ business challenges are complex and spread across geographical areas and cultures. We believe that working with people of different backgrounds, cultures, and thinking styles helps our people grow into better professionals and leaders.

Looking after Employees.

Our companies follow strictly the Norwegian laws and regulations, both in Norway and abroad.

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer as per the Human Rights Act 2010 where we strive to hire women in management positions and do not discriminate based on religion.
We are also a supporter of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which is in line with Norwegian law.

Our companies follow the Health, Safety and Environment Quality (HSEQ) policy (refer to ADM-10-690), including the BWM Platform and the URSA AS Quality, Survey, and Certification Scheme (MQSC).

Staff training, appraisals and personal development.

Communication with staff follows a flat structure, meaning that any employee can speak to any manager all the way to the CEO, directly through email, phone, Teams, or any of the other communication channels used: WhatsApp, WeChat or KakaoTalk.

All staff paid correctly and on time, with wages always exceeding the National Minimum/ Living Wage. Depending on location of employment, employees get pension plans, phones and insurances.

On a monthly basis, the office of the CEO runs an anonymous “temperature test” of the company by sending a quick survey to all employees. Average score below 4 means that employees are not satisfied with the work environment and action must be taken to improve that.

Suppliers’ Standards.

It is vital for our companies to ensure that we use good suppliers and maintain a good working relationship with them. 

  • All our suppliers are randomly asked to present evidence that they adhere to the Modern Slavery Act 2015, where this is relevant in connection with the activity they perform (for example manufacturing sites).
  • Any supplier involved in any act of bribery or does not operate in line with the Bribery Act 2010, will be rejected from supplying goods and services to us.
  • We pay our suppliers properly and on time.
  • We are committed to clear communication with suppliers.

Protecting the Environment

It is important to commit to reducing the environment impact that our business activities may have.

  • All of our R&D activities are aimed at monitoring waste reduction, re-use and recycling. We will strive to apply this in all our offices.
  • To the extent that is practical, all materials used must be recyclable or can be made from recycled material.
  • We encourage greener transport by:
  • - Encouraging staff to walk, cycle, car share or use public transport to get to work if possible.
  • - Encouraging staff to use greener fuels in their personal vehicles if possible.

Community Engagement

We will contribute positively to our local communities. Examples of such positive engagement are:

  • Sponsorship of or monetary donations to: local charities, sports clubs, societies, youth groups and community centres. This engagement can be financed centrally and outside the budget of the local office.
  • Supporting the surrounding community by employing local people.

Measurement

We will measure the degree of CSR Engagement for each segment mentioned in this policy. At a country level, each manager must report once a year the activities done under each segment, who participated and if there were polls done to get a feeling of the staff engagement in CSR.
Those reports will be sent to the Head Office in Norway for evaluation and appropriate actions.

 

Jad Mouawad
CEO
Dated 14 November 2019