How Nortek practices corporate social responsibility

By practicing corporate social responsibility (CSR), Nortek aims to contribute to the society of which we are a part. We do this through activities of a philanthropic, educational or charitable nature or by engaging in or supporting volunteering, social outreach or ethically oriented practices.

For us, it is natural to link technological innovation to social responsibility. How?

The most important way we can practice social responsibility is by developing innovative technology that enables people to gain new knowledge that will help them contribute to societal, environmental and economic progress.

Enabling people through innovative technology

As an enabler, we want to help researchers and scientists discover new things and gain a deeper understanding of the world we live in – specifically the part of our world dominated by water. By introducing new, more efficient and more cost-effective technology, we are lowering the threshold for surveying the natural environment in the ocean, lakes, rivers and estuaries.

This enabling philosophy is at the very core of our business operations.

As an example, our technology enables researchers and scientists to do research on climate change and pollution, as well as on available food resources. With more precision knowledge on what happens in the ocean, we are in turn better able to take action, protect the environment and manage resources in the ocean better.

Our technological innovations can help define how we need to prepare for and combat climate change, for example through research to improve hurricane forecasts, or this technology may contribute to improved fuel efficiency for the marine sector – helping cut CO₂ emissions globally.

Working ethically by complying with Nortek’s Code of Conduct

All our employees are individually responsible for their compliance with Nortek’s Code of Conduct. Our Code of Conduct emphasizes that we will conduct our business with integrity, respecting the law, culture, dignity and rights of individuals in all countries where we operate.

Behaving responsibly is fundamental to our approach to business. Whether it is with our customers, employees or suppliers, we always aim to be transparent and trustworthy. This encompasses taking a stand against discrimination, bribery and facilitation payments, as well as being sensitive to potential conflicts of interest.

Read our complete Code of Conduct here.

Fair wages and work experience for students

As an organization, we are also committed to contributing to social equality by giving employees fair financial remuneration. For many years, we have been giving opportunities to young people with relatively little work experience by regularly employing students who are on summer leave. This gives them the chance to gain valuable work experience that is relevant for their field of study.

Giving students access to Doppler technology

Nortek sponsors various student teams working with robotics and underwater navigation. For example, we have helped students at Vortex NTNU to build an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) by providing a DVL, which is an essential device enabling subsea navigation. This has helped these students participate in an international technology competition.

We regularly also provide free training for oceanography students, helping them obtain practical training that is valuable for future employment.

Nortek provides free training for oceanography students, helping them obtain practical training to prepare them for a future career in the ocean tech industry.

Sponsoring sailing athletes

Nortek has long sponsored young sailing athletes to enable them to learn and to compete internationally. Currently, we are helping the athletes in the Nortek Sailing Team to compete on an international level and develop their capabilities.

Providing opportunities through technical education

We are eagerly planning a major educational social outreach project in the Dominican Republic. Here, we are building and funding a brand-new secondary technical school that will provide competence that will help give young people in the Dominican Republic new opportunities, while advancing the local economy and the competence level of the workforce. We are contributing with both monetary funds and with the competence and experience of our engineers. Our educational outreach project is in line with two of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, which are quality education and decent work and economic growth.

Nortek sponsors young sailing athletes to help them develop and compete internationally.