Engagement, remediation and channels to raise concerns

Engagement with affected communities (S3-2)

Epiroc’s material impacts related to communities occur primarily in the downstream value chain, linked to mining activities. Direct engagement with affected communities is therefore limited. To address the material impacts, Epiroc primarily engages with affected communities through communication with credible proxies such as NGOs, industry networks, and multi-stakeholder initiatives. We also have to rely on customer having a thorough process in accordance with international standards. We seek to incorporate the perspectives of affected communities through:

• Responsible Sales Assessment (RSA): Conducted before onboarding new customers and regularly for existing customers. RSA incorporates questions how customers engage with affected stakeholders, including indigenous communities, and identifies risks related to human rights, corruption, and environmental impacts. 
• Public Information and collaboration: We monitor reports from NGOs, industry associations, and multi-stakeholder forums to gain insight into community concerns, including those of vulnerable groups.

Broader stakeholder input is gathered through ongoing participation in industry initiatives; however, there is currently no fixed frequency for this type of engagement. Insights from RSA and external sources inform decisions related to customers and mitigation measures.

There is no single person on Group level that is responsible for engagement with affected communities. Effectiveness is assessed through RSA outcomes and participation in collaborative initiatives. 

We also engage and support our local communities in different ways. Our Sponsoring and Community Engagement Policy includes guidance on how to engage in community activities, charity or sponsoring projects locally. We encourage learning and development through cooperation with local communities and believe that this will help to maintain the sustainable development of our business and contribute to developing communities. We have selected three focus areas of engagement; i) mining and construction solutions, ii) education and iii) skills development. Selected projects should always comply with the ethical guidelines and principles outlined in our CoC and additional principles should be followed when we are selecting which community engagements to support.

Remedy and grievance mechanisms (S3-3)

We encourage customers to maintain accessible and trusted grievance processes. The RSA incorporates how customers have set up grievance processes. Currently, Epiroc does not have a systematic process to monitor the effectiveness or trust of the customer grievance channels.

Epiroc's Speak Up system is open for external parties for confidential and anonymous reporting, but use is limited, Epiroc’s Speak Up policy includes safeguards against retaliation for individuals who report concerns to Epiroc. No severe human rights issues or incidents connected to affected communities have been reported through the Speak Up channel. Details are provided in ESRS G1.

Epiroc is committed to remedying situations where our own activities have caused or contributed to adverse human rights impacts, in line with the UNGPs. For impacts linked to mining operations in our downstream value chain, the responsibility for remediation lies primarily with mining companies. Epiroc takes this into consideration through the responsible sales process which considers customers’ practices for stakeholder engagement and remediation.