Is your company ready to respond to human rights information requests — within three weeks?
Small and large violations of human rights happen every day, often out of sight, but within the supply chains that businesses depend on.
The Norwegian Transparency Act (åpenhetsloven) makes it clear; companies are no longer allowed to look away. They must understand and address how their operations and partners affect people’s working conditions.
Who the Transparency Act applies to and what it requires
The Act applies to all large companies operating in Norway. It mandates companies to:
▪️ Conduct due diligence assessments on their own operations and value chain
▪️ Report publicly on how they manage human rights and decent working condition
▪️ Respond to public information requests within three weeks
▪️ Publish an annual statement by 30 June
These duties are not only symbolic but legal obligations. Companies must document how they work to identify and reduce negative impacts, and how they follow up their suppliers.
Due diligence is a leadership task
According to legal experts such as Annina Luterbacher (BAHR), the work must be anchored throughout the company including the board. The Transparency Act is not only a compliance task, it is risk management on par with finance, security, and operations.
“Ask yourself: What does our supply chain look like? Who are our partners? Where could human rights risks occur?” she advises.
Practical challenges and how digital tools help
Many companies delay getting started, not because they disagree with the law, but because they lack a simple and structured way to work with it. Managing due diligence manually through emails, spread sheets, and PDFs becomes time-consuming and error-prone, especially when suppliers span industries and geographies.
Factlines: a digital solution to the Transparency Act
Factlines provides a digital platform designed to make this work manageable and scalable.
The platform includes:
▪️ Standardised supplier assessments (SAQs) tailored to human rights and working conditions
▪️ Risk scoring that helps companies prioritise where to act
▪️ Chain surveys for visibility beyond direct supplier
▪️ Tools to follow up and document actions — all stored in one place
▪️ Audit-ready reports that support internal transparency and public compliance
These features help companies collect relevant data, interpret risks, follow up effectively, and publish what the law requires on time. Year after year.
It is not about perfection, but about action
The purpose of the Transparency Act is not to punish companies. It is to raise standards. Companies are not expected to eliminate all risks, but they must try. The goal is a better working day for everyone involved in delivering the products and services we rely on.
Former CEO Siri Engesæth put it simply when the law launched: “Excuses like ‘this doesn’t apply to me’ or ‘we’re a small,Norwegian company’ no longer hold. Transparency must be delivered.”
And today, with scalable tools and clearer expectations, it is not just a legal requirement, it is part of responsible business.
Contact us to learn more or book a demo today! You can also request a free trial if you want to test our software.
