Responsible Business

EBOS’ value chain encompasses wholesale and distribution, retail and own-brand manufacturing to a wide-ranging network of business customers, as well as direct marketing to consumers. Our people act in a professional, ethical and even-handed manner with all of our stakeholders.

Strictly upholding the principles and practices of good corporate governance and enterprise risk management, we make investment,  procurement, operational and human resource management decisions with full awareness and respect for laws and regulations that  apply to us.

The Board regularly reviews and assesses the Group’s governance structures to ensure they are consistent, both in form and in substance, with best practice, including the NZX Corporate Governance Code. Our Corporate Governance Statement is updated and approved by the Board for publication annually.

Information about our corporate governance policies and practices can be found in our Corporate Governance Code, including charters of the Board and its committees and policies mentioned in our Corporate Governance Statement. For more information please visit the Corporate Governance section of our website.

Business Ethics

The EBOS Code of Ethics is the framework of standards by which directors, employees and contractors of EBOS and related companies are expected to conduct their professional lives. It guides the day-to-day work and decision-making of EBOS employees, all of whom receive a copy upon commencement of their employment or appointment with us.

The EBOS Code of Ethics is supplemented by detailed policies and procedures addressing various areas of direct relevance to  implementation of our ESG Program.

Risk management is an integral part of the Group’s business. The Group has an enterprise risk management framework, designed to  promote a culture which ensures a proactive and consistent approach to identifying and mitigating risk on a Group-wide basis.

EBOS defines risk management as the identification, assessment and treatment of risks that have the potential to materially impact the Group’s operations, people and reputation, the environment and communities in which we work, and our financial prospects.

Role of the Board and Audit and Risk Committee

Our approach to risk management provides clarity on roles and responsibilities to minimise the impact of material risks on our business and is tailored to the Group’s business and aligned to the Group’s short-term and long-term objectives.

Under this approach, the Board approves the strategic risk profile and risk appetite statements (which describe the level of risk the  Group is willing to take in relation to specific risk categories) for the Group. The Board reviews the strategic risk profile at least annually.

The Audit and Risk Committee assists the Board in discharging its responsibility to exercise due care, diligence and skill in relation to  identifying and monitoring material business risks by monitoring the strategic risk profile and implementation of the risk appetite levels that were set by the Board. The monitoring of the strategic risk profile is part of a standing agenda item for each regular Audit and Risk Committee meeting.

In respect of financial risks and non-financial risks and how these are managed, this is described in the Annual Report and Corporate  Governance Statement, respectively.