Communication on Progress

Participant
Published
  • 08-Dec-2021
Time period
  • December 2020  –  December 2021
Format
  • Stand alone document – Basic COP Template
Differentiation Level
  • This COP qualifies for the Global Compact Active level
Self-assessment
  • Includes a CEO statement of continued support for the UN Global Compact and its ten principles
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Human Rights
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Labour
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Environment
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Anti-Corruption
  • Includes a measurement of outcomes
 
  • Statement of continued support by the Chief Executive Officer
  • Statement of the company's chief executive (CEO or equivalent) expressing continued support for the Global Compact and renewing the company's ongoing commitment to the initiative and its principles.

  • For our sixth update report I am pleased to confirm that Freja eID continues to support the ten principles of the Global Compact with respect to human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.

    Since our last Communication on Progress we have streamlined the business and increased focus on our core business. In order to reflect this we have aIso changed the company name from Verisec to Freja eID.

    By the very nature of our business we support pubIic accountability and transparency. Therefore we commit to reporting our progress annually according to the Global Compact COP policy.

Human Rights
  • Assessment, policy and goals
  • Description of the relevance of human rights for the company (i.e. human rights risk-assessment). Description of policies, public commitments and company goals on Human Rights.

  • As society becomes more and more digital, hundreds of thousands of individuals end up in digital exclusion. There was a time when you could choose to do things the traditional way or digitally, but now doors to non- digital alternatives are closing ever faster. We must all help to minimise the digital exclusion of these individuals.

    Freja elD is contributing with an innovation that solves one of the biggest problems – access to electronic identification for everyone. As e-ID becomes a requirement for accessing both private and pubIic e-services, these people end up further and further away from being abIe to interact with the digital world.

  • Implementation
  • Description of concrete actions to implement Human Rights policies, address Human Rights risks and respond to Human Rights violations.

  • Shared Control is the culmination of a PTS-funded project aimed at combating digital exclusion. This project was completed in the summer 2021 and 'Shared control' is now a fully-fledged feature in Freja elD.

    Shared Control allows individuals to link their accounts so that one person can help another to use their elD. It is the culmination of a PTS-funded project aimed at combating digital exclusion.

  • Measurement of outcomes
  • Description of how the company monitors and evaluates performance.

  • We are carefully monitoring the number of people who are using this feature and the number of digital transactions that are completed in this way. The tool we are using is Firebase, that gives us insights into how this feature is performing.

Labour
  • Assessment, policy and goals
  • Description of the relevance of labour rights for the company (i.e. labour rights-related risks and opportunities). Description of written policies, public commitments and company goals on labour rights.

  • Freja eID complies with the relevant laws relating to employment and employment conditions in each country we operate in. We recognise that Iabour standards and conditions may vary from country to country. We ensure that our employees have satisfactory wages, working conditions and that there is no exploitation of Iabour.

    No person shall be employed who is below the minimum legal age for employment. We place high demands on suppliers that we are in business with continuousIy, to not take part of or in any way support, any form of child Iabour.

    Freja eID offer equal employment opportunities to all. The persons recruited are selected on merits and are not discriminated because of gender, race, origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability or age. To us, diversity is positive.

    AII employees shall have a written contract, be informed about and fully understand their employment conditions and rights. The contract shall as minimum contain; working hours, notice period, wages and frequency of payment.

  • Implementation
  • Description of concrete actions taken by the company to implement labour policies, address labour risks and respond to labour violations.

  • When it comes to health risks, during the entire Coronavirus outbreak we recommended and fully supported all of our employees working remotely. It was critical for us to ensure their safety.

    For those who had justifiable reasons to work from the office, we provided all WHO recommended measures in all workspaces, including but not limited to: enough space for a safe distance to be kept between individuals in the office, the office was fully equipped with antiseptic hygienic products, all office spaces and surfaces were cleaned and disinfected on a weekly basis.

    Meetings in person were reduced drastically. However, before any critical meetings or gatherings, all people present were tested beforehand at the company's expense.

  • Measurement of outcomes
  • Description of how the company monitors and evaluates performance.

  • We carefully monitored the number of employees coming to the office, whether any cases of infection occurred. We are proud to say that no outbreaks occurred during this entire period, including after a few larger company gatherings.

Environment
  • Assessment, policy and goals
  • Description of the relevance of environmental protection for the company (i.e. environmental risks and opportunities). Description of policies, public commitments and company goals on environmental protection.

  • Our business is to help other companies implement digitization. This means that our products and services reduce or eliminate paper-based processes and physical transport. Letters and other documentation can, with our technology, be replaced by digital communication. Physical communication can be replaced by digital contacts and our technology makes it possible for people to work from home /remotely with less travelling as a result.

    We only use printing shops that are environmentally certified, and always select paper that is FCS-marked and Rainforest Alliance Certified.

  • Implementation
  • Description of concrete actions to implement environmental policies, address environmental risks and respond to environmental incidents.

  • Freja eID has invested in a system for remote meetings between our offices so that we can cut down on travel.

    We offer employees to work from home as a step to reduce travelling and also the impact on the environment. Freja eID strive to minimise environmental impact in all parts of the business. The move to a refurbished plant in Upplands Väsby was a part of our efforts to streamline our processes and minimise the number of transports. To manufacture a login token in China, transporting it several thousand miles and then manage and distribute it in Sweden, of course means leaving an environmental footprint.

    Freja eID's effort to develop security solutions that use the mobile phone as the login device, are to be seen as part of a reduced climate impact. We believe that the mobile phone of the future will be the entity that most people use to securely connect to various services on the Internet and in line with this, the number of physical devices will be reduced.

    Recycling is also a natural part in all of our offices across the world. Sorting paper, metals, foods and plastics is part of this ongoing project. We collect huge amounts of plastic bottle caps in our Serbian office to support the Bottle Caps for Handicapped humanitarian initiative. We are also committed to the EU WEEE initiative to minimise the impact of electronic waste. All our electronic equipment is being collected, reused and/or disposed of in accordance with EU regulations by approved suppliers.

    We strongly encourage our employees to drive hybrid cars.

    Our branch office in Serbia, Freja elD, joined the campaign for a greener Belgrade, organised by the Swedish embassy. Together with Swedish companies that operate in Serbia Freja elD Belgrade donated 269 trees which were planted in mid-March in order to contribute to cleaner air and making more green parks in the Serbian capital city.

  • Measurement of outcomes
  • Description of how the company monitors and evaluates environmental performance.

  • Since the company made it much more convenient to work from home, the number of people commuting to the office every day has dropped by 70% in Belgrade and 60% Stockholm. Additionally, travelling by plane between Belgrade and Stockholm has become much less necessary due to a better organisation of work via Microsoft Teams and other communication tools.

    In both offices, recycling is a normal part of office culture. In Belgrade office, we have collected hundreds of kilograms of recyclables including plastic packaging, plastic caps and tin cans.

    Due to working primarily online, and more and more companies are accepting digital documents for bank statements, contracts, bookkeeping etc., this year we used less paper than ever before.

Anti-Corruption
  • Assessment, policy and goals
  • Description of the relevance of anti-corruption for the company (i.e. anti-corruption risk-assessment). Description of policies, public commitments and company goals on anti-corruption.

  • Freja eID has a policy on business ethics. Corruption does not only create problems for the individual company, but also prevents communities from developing, especially in poor parts of the world.

    All forms of corruption, including but not limited to extortion, bribery, facilitation payments, nepotism, fraud, terrorism financing and money laundering, are forbidden. Digital payments and transactions – part of our core business, increase the traceability and thus prevent money laundering and other related forms of corruption.

    No one shall offer, ask for, give or accept, directly or indirectly, a personal payment, gift or benefit in exchange for favourable treatment intended to influence a business transaction or to obtain a personal or business advantage.

  • Implementation
  • Description of concrete actions to implement anti-corruption policies, address anti-corruption risks and respond to incidents.

  • Both offices have a responsible person to whom employees can report any behaviour which the employee deems could be considered as such: extortion, bribery, facilitation payments, nepotism, fraud etc.

    Every new employee is made aware of the company's stance and policy towards this issue, as well as being told to whom they can report any such behaviour.

    Finally, all employees have annual training concerning crisis management, a part of which is recognising, reporting and dealing with this issue.

  • Measurement of outcomes
  • Description of how the company monitors and evaluates anti-corruption performance.

  • The result of each reported incident can be measured in the number of corruption that were prevented or resolved. Fortunately, our company had no reported instances of such behaviour in this period.