Anti-bribery and anti-corruption principles
Kesko is committed to ethical business practices and operates a strict zero-tolerance policy toward all forms of bribery and corruption. The prevention of corruption and bribery is an integral part of our K Code of Conduct guidelines, and enhances the creation of a more ethical supply chain.
A summary of our anti-bribery and anti-corruption principles:
Key Principles
- Zero tolerance for bribery, corruption, facilitation payments, and improper advantages.
- Applies to employees, business partners, consultants, and their representatives.
- All suspected or actual incidents must be reported to Kesko’s Compliance & Ethics function.
Gifts and Hospitality
- Permitted only if modest, occasional, transparent, and business-related.
- Not allowed during contract negotiations.
- Giving or receiving cash or equivalents to business partners (e.g., gift cards, personal discounts) are strictly prohibited.
- Public officials may only receive symbolic hospitality, if any.
Conflicts of Interest
Employees must avoid situations where personal interests conflict—or appear to conflict—with Kesko’s interests. Any potential conflicts must be reported immediately.
Third Parties
All third-party representatives must:
- Be carefully selected based on reputation and competence.
- Sign a written agreement committing to the K Code of Conduct.
- Provide detailed invoices and disclose any potential incentives or conflicts.
Sponsorships and Donations
- Aligned with K Group’s guidelines, focusing on children, youth, and sustainable development.
- Direct political donations are not permitted.
- Decisions must consider conflicts of interest and follow internal authorization processes.
Training of our employees
We communicate and train our employees so that they know how to act correctly, can identify cases related to corruption and bribery, and know how to report about them. When needed, we will train different target groups in more detail.
In 2024, our employees completed training on the updated K Code of Conduct either online or as classroom training. During 2024, 88% of the Group‘s employees completed the training. Depending on their role, our employees are also required to complete other compliance-related online training, such as competition law and data protection training.
Speak Up channel
SpeakUp is a confidential reporting channel for the whole K Group. The whistleblowing channel helps to maintain the trust of employees, customers and stakeholders in Kesko‘s and K Group‘s business operations. Through the channel, K Group’s employees and suppliers, customers and other stakeholders can report their observations concerning Kesko Group, K Group or Kesko Pension Fund regarding suspected misconduct or criminal offences or activities that breach the K Group‘s K Code of Conduct.
