Ethical principles

1. We operate honestly, legally and openly

We operate honestly and openly, and comply with current legislation, regulations and agreements in all of our activities. We also expect our business partners to do the same.

We communicate openly and transparently about our operations.

We follow the principles of good governance.

2. We uphold equality and do not offer or accept bribes of any kind

Alko works with trustworthy suppliers and partners. Equality is one of the cornerstones of Alko’s retail sale system.

We do not accept or give any direct or indirect gifts or benefits that could be considered to be bribery or corruption, attempts to exert inappropriate influence, or contrary to the principles of equality.

The decisive criterion for assessing the acceptability of a gift is whether giving or accepting the gift would reduce confidence in the independent nature of our operations.

Acceptable gifts and hospitality are always occasional. They never place the giver or receiver under any obligation, and do not lead to thoughts of returning the favour.

Alko does not directly or indirectly support political parties or organisations, and does not participate in the funding of individual candidates during election campaigns.

3. We identify and avoid situations that can lead to a conflict of interest

We do not allow our personal interests to conflict with Alko’s interests. Alko complies with antitrust principles in all of its activities.

4. We operate in a responsible and ethically acceptable manner, and take care of the environment.

We respect human rights from the perspective of our customers, supply chain and work community.

Alko complies with amfori BSCI’s Code of Conduct. We also require our partners to operate in line with our ethics and values.

We take responsibility, sustainability and environmental perspectives into consideration in our decision-making and operations.

5. A functional workplace community We value difference, diversity and equality.

We do not accept bullying, harassment or discrimination of any kind.

We treat each other equally and fairly, and in accordance with good working community skills, labour legislation and binding agreements.

We take care of Alko property. Alko staff are responsible for protecting against the damage, misuse and loss of company assets in an appropriate manner. These assets may be fixed or moveable property, monetary funds, IT systems or other protected information.

6. Confidentiality We handle customer data, personal data and trade secrets confidentially and in accordance with the law.

Any confidential information about Alko’s operations, personnel, customers and partners that has been obtained at work may not be disclosed to external parties or discussed in the hearing of external parties.

The basic rule is that Alko's intranet contains confidential information, while information on the ww.alko.fi website is public. The owner of the information is responsible for defining the level of protection required.

Everyone must comply with Alko’s data security and data protection policies and any associated instructions.

7. Adherence to ethical principles

Alko’s Board of Directors approved these principles on 15 June 2022. To help put our operating methods into practice, more detailed company-level policies and instructions are issued by Alko’s Management Team as necessary.

Our ethical principles cover all Alko personnel, including management.

Alko requires these ethical principles to be promoted and complied with at every level.

Supervisors and managers are responsible for ensuring that personnel are aware of and understand the content and requirements of these principles. Going through our ethical principles forms part of the induction of new employees.

We encourage everyone to report any suspected violations of our ethical principles immediately. You can make a report to your own supervisor, their immediate supervisor or, if that is not possible, to the internal audit function. You can also make the report anonymously via whistleblowing channel. All contacts will be taken seriously and handled confidentially. 

Employees must not be prevented from reporting violations of our ethical principles. Reporting a violation must not have a negative impact on the informant’s work or employment contract.