Enel Chile and Enel Generación are Chile’s first power companies to certify their anti-bribery management system

Published on Friday, 1 February 2019

As a result of promoting and consolidating an ethical and transparent culture within the company, Enel Chile and Enel Generación has obtained the ISO37001 certification, an international standard that recognizes companies that have a solid anti-bribery management system in place.

What is ISO?

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent and non-governmental organization that establishes international standards in various fields, ranging from manufactured products and technology to food safety, agriculture, and health.

What is ISO 37001?

ISO 37001 is a standard for Anti-bribery Management Systems published by the International Organization for Standardization. The system aims to prevent, detect, and combat bribery, as well as promote an ethical, transparent, and compliance culture amongst its employees and all its stakeholders.

Why was ISO 37001 created?

The ISO 37001 standard was created to support the fight against bribery and corruption that countries maintain through international agreements such as the OECD’s Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and the United Nations Convention against Corruption. This is also in line with local legislation such as Law 20,393 on criminal liability of legal entities in Chile.

What does this standard require?

That companies and organizations develop and implement an effective management system to mitigate risks of bribery and any type of corruption.

The requirements include, among others, i) implementing and adopting anti-bribery policies through the leadership and commitment of the directors and management; ii) carrying out periodic evaluations of bribery risks that allow maintaining an effective control system; iii) holding training and communication programs for workers and stakeholders in this area; iv) providing the scope of the management system to the stakeholders and value chain; v) establishing continuous improvement actions and vi) implementing complaint channels and sanction processes in case of detecting non-compliance.

Why did we get certified in ISO 37001?

This certification recognizes Enel Chile and Enel Generación commitment to transparency and ethics through an external evaluation and certification of the crime prevention system that has been implemented for several years.

The certification process was carried out by the RINA certifier between October and December 2018, in a first phase through analysis of the Company’s main activities, identifying the organization’s key processes and the greatest risks of bribery. Once this phase was over, the Certification Audit was carried out in December, which interviewed and verified the controls and responsibilities of all areas of the company.

What are the benefits?

The standard ensures the implementation of a management system against bribery with the highest international standards in the face of all the Company stakeholders: owners, investors, suppliers, business partners, customers, and the community in general.

It also generates greater confidence in the market, supports promoting the value of the brand, increases the value of the shares, and forms part of the Sustainability indicators.

Who is in charge of the management system?

The entire organization is involved in the management system, which is why it is one of the most complete and rigorous international standards.

The Directors and senior management promote and lead the system, the employees are in charge of daily activities and controls to avoid situations that expose the company to a risk of bribery. Finally, the Audit Department is responsible for evaluating and monitoring the operation of the system.