Risk management

For a decade now, Novozymes has had a vision of creating value in the broadest sense. We aim to create a cleaner environment, better lives, and better business. The way Novozymes is managed reflects this, as management systems are set up to seek opportunities in all these areas while at the same time reducing risk and ensuring compliance with rules and regulations.

The process of identifying and managing risk is integrated into the management systems at Novozymes. We define risks as “events or tendencies that can prevent the company from achieving its overall targets – including financial, environmental, and social targets – or negatively affect our image or our future results and activities.” Novozymes strives to identify risks as early as possible and, once they have been identified, act and follow up on them.

At the top of the management system, Touch the World sets out the company’s vision, company idea, commitment, and values. It guides us in everything we do and outlines Novozymes’ philosophy. By acting in accordance with these principles, we encourage the right behavior and thereby reduce the risk of misconduct. To ensure that the company lives up to the values in Touch the World, an organizational performance process is conducted annually where the impact of each business unit’s work to support and uphold the principles in Touch the World is assessed. This process is overseen by Executive Management and the results reported to Board of Directors.

Risks are often related to external factors affecting our achievement of targets, but can also be related to internal procedures, such as errors leading to the misstatement of information, malfunctioning of products, etc. Novozymes strives to minimize these procedural risks through the extensive use of quality management systems and ISO certifications, which include general policies and standards, as well as detailed control and action requirements covering both global procedures and specific requirements dependent on location, business area, and function.

To ensure compliance with quality management systems, a large number of internal quality audits are performed. Each year, a report on compliance with these systems is submitted to Executive Management.