corporate social responsibility accounts, cf. section 99a of the Danish Financial Statements Act.

The compulsory statement of corporate social responsibility describes the business model of JPS Marselis ApS in relation tocorporate social responsibility, policies for corporate social responsibility and risk assessment, as well as a description of actions and results.

JPS Marselis ApS has elected to publish its statement in accordance with Section 99a as indicated on the company website.

The statement below includes JPS Marselis ApS’s report for 2020/21 and forms part of the management report that is included in the annual report.

 

Description of the JPS Marselis business model

JPS Marselis and its subsidiaries form part of a structure that focuses either on property (JPS Administration A/S and JPS Germa A/S) or individual enterprises (Tropica Aquarium Plants A/S, Hornbaek A/S, Vahle A/S and Dansk Administrationscenter A/S). A number of these companies are set up as focused sub-groups that have their own subsidiaries. The individual companies have a large degree of independence operationally, with their own organisational structures and management with responsibility for running their company. The companies’ underlying subsidiaries manage activities identical to, or closely related to, the company’s main business activity.

The majority of the Group’s turnover is generated from the Group’s own production of wooden goods and aquatic plants. The remainder of its turnover is essentially generated from retail activity and real estate lettings.

The Group’s procurement of raw materials is limited to timber from forests primarily in the Nordic and Baltic countries, which is purchased in large quantities from approved suppliers. The Group’s procurement of components involves the purchase of a large number of products from suppliers around the world. Common to all of these products is the fact that they are manufactured by suppliers with high quality standards.

In essence, the Group’s turnover is based on sales to professionals who sell the goods on to both private individuals and professional clients. Revenue from sales directly to private and public-sector customers is very limited. The Group’s property is mainly let to private tenants (for residential purposes).

The above characteristics mean that the Group’s general business model involves CR- related conditions that play a central role in our business. This applies in particular to the conditions for our employees, our usage of resources, such as energy and raw materials, and good business ethics.

 

CR – policy and risk assessment

JPS Marselis has adopted Corporate Responsibility (CR) policies with regard to human rights, social conditions and employee working conditions, anti-corruption measures and business ethics, as well as climate and environment, all of which have been implemented within the Group. The Group’s CR policy provides a framework for a common approach to be taken by all our employees in relation to our values and our targets, i.e. to be sustainable and responsible in our actions. The policy outlines a series of guidelines and our expectations of one another, summarising how we should conduct ourselves as employees and as an employer. The policy is based on the United Nations’ ‘Global Compact’.

JPS Marselis has also conducted an overall risk assessment of the areas mentioned above, with the most significant risks outlined below in connection with the policy in each individual area.

Human rights

JPS Marselis is active in a large number of countries around the world. Regardless of where we have our operations, we always strive to observe human rights, value our employees and treat them with respect. We support and respect the UN’s international Universal Declaration of Human Rights, protecting human rights internationally, and observe ILO conventions and recommendations.

JPS Marselis has conducted an overall risk assessment with regard to human rights. The Group has operations in many different countries, including countries that might be defined as ‘high-risk’. The managers of all of these activities are now familiar with our policies and approaches to human rights – regardless of geographical affiliation. The latter is thought to be a contributing factor to reducing the risk of human rights violations.

Social conditions and employee working conditions

At JPS Marselis, we believe that it is the people who achieve the results. We strive to be a responsible employer that ensures proper terms of employment, safe and healthy working conditions and a motivating working environment for our employees. We are a diverse workplace that contributes to the communities in which we have a presence by creating jobs and employing unskilled workers and people struggling to break into the job market.

JPS Marselis has conducted an overall risk assessment with regard to social conditions and employee working conditions. Given that JPS Marselis regards its employees as the Group’s most important resource, CR risks are thought to be an area of particular significance in the context of social conditions and employee working conditions.

The activities undertaken by the Group require employees to be dedicated and highly competent, with significant demands placed on their skills. For the most part, the company has an educated labour force or employees who have acquired the necessary skills after an induction and further training, making it possible to meet the company quality and safety standards. This is also a contributing factor in ensuring that a high level can be maintained in terms of working environment standard.

With regard specifically to social conditions and employee working conditions, activities taking place outside of the former ‘Western Europe’ (Latvia) are thought to be particular risks, because management culture and motivating working environments do not have the same prevalence and historic integrity as we know it. For this reason, we place a particular focus on these areas in our day-to-day management and controlling of the subsidiaries. The outcome of this specific focus is thought to reduce the outlined risks. Continual improvements are being made to minimise the risks in this area.

In terms of the policies in this area, no non-compliant activities/decisions were confirmed (in this area) for the financial year in question.

Anti-corruption measures and business ethics

Over the years, JPS Marselis has built up a reputation as a company that maintains a high level of integrity and ethical conduct. We counteract all forms of corruption, including bribery.

JPS Marselis has conducted an overall risk assessment with regard to anti-corruption measures and business ethics. The JPS Marselis vision is to be one of the best at creating value in a proper and credible manner, done by committing ourselves and our companies to assuming responsibility and acting in the interest of sustainability, regardless of the country of our business operations. This vision is firmly anchored in the manner in which JPS Marselis runs its business, which has helped to build up the Group’s good reputation. As such, it is not thought that this area poses a major risk for CR; even so, a firm focus is placed on it to ensure that a high standard is maintained.

With regard specifically to anti-corruption measures and business ethics, activities taking place outside of the former ‘Western Europe’ (Latvia) are thought to be particular risks. To provide some background, the business environment there typically is, or has been, susceptible to bribery and corruption, as these are considered important ingredients historically when it comes to meeting business targets. For this reason, we place a particular focus on these areas in our day-to-day management and controlling of the subsidiaries. The outcome of this specific focus is thought to reduce the outlined risks.

In terms of the policies in this area, no non-compliant activities/decisions were confirmed (in this area) for the financial year in question.

The Group has introduced a whistleblower scheme that complies with general practice for sound company management. nder the whistleblower scheme, employees, customers, suppliers, partners or other stakeholders with a connection to JPS Marselis Group are able, in good faith, to report (anonymously or publicly) any serious circumstances potentially of significance to the company as a whole, or which may have significant meaning for the lives or health of individuals. Details of the whistleblower scheme are available in three different languages – English, Danish and German – at www.jpsmarselis.dk. As of today’s date, the Group is yet to see any whistleblowing under the scheme.

Climate and environment

JPS Marselis Group companies use raw materials in their work that are predominantly produced in a way that is positive for the environment. This applies both to the primary raw material, wood, which comes from forests in northern Europe, and to plants purchased in. We recognise that transportation of raw materials, plus the production/processing that takes place subsequently, has an impact on the environment. Our CR policy for climate and environment requires us to take responsibility in relation to the environment and impact on the climate, doing so via proactive efforts to protect the environment, which includes reducing our consumption.

JPS Marselis has conducted an overall risk assessment with regard to climate and environment. As a result of continually reducing consumption of resources as a consequence of a desire for environmental responsibility and sound business practice, this area is not thought to pose a CR risk for the Group. When purchasing raw materials, certification tends to be a central requirement (e.g. FSC), which means that we are ensuring that the raw materials fulfil a number of CR requirements.

In terms of the policies in this area, no non-compliant activities/decisions were confirmed (in this area) for the financial year in question.

 

Description of action taken and outcomes

CR initiatives at the JPS Marselis Group are undertaken primarily at individual company level, with these ongoing efforts prioritised based on the areas with the greatest CR risk. This often links with the points of focus which are also business-related in perspective, i.e. social conditions and employee working conditions, as well as climate and environment.

As 2020/21 is the fourth year in which a Corporate Responsibility report (Section 99a) has been compiled, it seems relevant at this point to provide a brief status update for the individual company areas.

Within the area of social conditions and employee working conditions, Hornbaek is focusing heavily on safety in production where machinery is used for processing. Ongoing efforts are being made to improve working conditions, via improvements to shielding, working posture for manual processes and use of special materials for heavy lifting and transportation. In dispatch, electrically powered trolleys (among other things) are now being used during packing. Programmes are in place and ongoing to provide safety training and to provide protection in the physical working environment. At Hornbaek Baltic, filling and quality control are, for the most part, manual processes. The focus there is on ensuring ergonomically correct working posture and sufficient lighting during this process. The financial year in question saw investment in a machine that will take care of much of the filing work. Over the course of the year, systematic work was carried out to prevent work accidents. As a result, there were no work accidents within the Group in 2020/21.

Also getting underway was an ambitious training programme that focuses on four of the UN’s goals; this was launched because we wanted a concrete initiative for the individual business areas. This training programme has seen staff issued with Ipads, meaning increased digitalisation. The training programme is being run at Hornbaek, Tropica and Vahle.

Within the area of climate and environment, Hornbaek has had a focus on use of FSC-certified timber in production for many years already. Sourcing sufficiently certified timber that meets Hornbaek’s strict quality requirements is a constant challenge.

This year, Hornbaek Baltic finished its implementation of a new paint line (no. 2), a process that will mean a reduced environmental load in the future thanks to lower energy consumption and less paint wastage. Energy consumption is lower, as is the consumption of paint.

New lighting, meanwhile, has been installed in the communal areas of one 128-apartment property in Brabrand. This has made the property safer for residents, i.e. thanks to increased luminance in peripheral areas such as the car park, staircases and the basement. The new LED lighting is reducing electricity consumption significantly.

This year has seen new woodworking machinery introduced at Hornbaek Baltic. This is reducing energy consumption in this process compared to previous generations of woodworking machinery. It also means that raw materials (i.e. the timber) are utilised more effectively.

Tropica is a big consumer of water, electricity and heating due to the large quantities of water and light required by the company’s aquatic plants, as well as the fixed temperature of 24 degrees that needs to be maintained in the greenhouses. With regard to water, more than 80 percent of all the water consumed by Tropica to produce plants comes from rainwater from roofs. The rainwater is collected in a large external tank with capacity for 1.3 million litres of water.

Tropica is working on its electricity consumption by using alternatives to traditional electric lighting in one of its nurseries. In recent years, use of LED technology has helped to reduce overall electricity consumption. During the year, an investment was made in energy-efficient lighting at Dennerlee with a view to using less electricity.

This year also saw the introduction of two-layer production of aquatic plants in one part of the nursery, doubling production in this area without increasing heating consumption.

During the year, a decision was made to invest in new well-insulated production halls with 4–8-layer production, which are set to reduce heating consumption significantly compared to the current production by the glass greenhouses. Artificial light (from LEDs) has to be used to grow the plants, which is expected to lead to a per-unit saving of up to 80% on heating.

At Tropica, the black pots used for production were replaced with brown pots made from reusable plastics. What sounds like a minor detail in practice actually represents a major step forward environmentally, as the 2–3 million pots used each year can be used again.

Vahle, meanwhile, has been investing in new painting facilities that will be introduced in 2021/22, the objective of which is to avoid transportation to and from any external subsupplier (painter). It was decided that the new paint facility would reduce the company’s climate footprint, reduce the amount of paint consumed per unit and improve the drying process in terms of energy efficiency.

In 2020/21, the Group lent its support to the ‘Landsbyer i Myanmar’ (Villages in Myanmar) project through DanChurchAid and ‘Kirkens Korshær’ in Aarhus, Denmark – a residence for the homeless and disadvantaged in the city and, as well as support for other smaller projects.

n 2020/21, we conducted overall assessments of the primary risks within human rights and anti-corruption measures and business ethics as a basis for future work. The assessment work was, like the development of the policies for Corporate Responsibility in general, conducted across the entire organisation, with the involvement of the Group’s major companies. This year, there were no specific circumstances requiring special management.

In 2021/22, we would like to continue with the Group’s CR initiatives within social conditions and employee working conditions and within climate and environment. We would also like to look into suitable ways in which we could expand our efforts within the two other areas i.e. human rights and anti-corruption measures and business ethics.