Supplier Code of Conduct
No Sweat Work Media CC
Trading as NoSweat
Registration Number: 2009/090625/23
Website: www.nosweat.co.za
Effective Date: 10 August 2026
1. Purpose
NoSweat is committed to conducting business ethically, responsibly, fairly and in accordance with applicable law.
We expect the suppliers and service providers we work with to uphold comparable standards.
This Supplier Code of Conduct (“Code”) sets out the minimum ethical, legal, labour, privacy, security and business-conduct standards we expect from organisations and individuals supplying goods or services to NoSweat.
Our objective is to work with suppliers who:
act lawfully and honestly;
respect human rights and fair labour practices;
protect confidential and personal information;
maintain safe and responsible working practices;
avoid corruption and conflicts of interest;
conduct business fairly; and
take reasonable responsibility for their environmental and social impact.
2. Who This Code Applies To
This Code applies, where relevant, to NoSweat’s:
suppliers;
vendors;
consultants;
independent contractors;
subcontractors;
technology providers;
professional advisers;
screening and verification providers;
payment and administrative service providers; and
other third parties providing goods or services to NoSweat.
Where appropriate, relevant provisions may also apply to freelancers or contractors engaged through NoSweat to provide services to clients.
In this Code, these parties are collectively referred to as “Suppliers.”
Suppliers are expected to communicate equivalent standards to subcontractors and other parties they engage in delivering services to NoSweat.
3. Compliance With Laws
Suppliers must comply with all laws and regulations applicable to:
their business;
their employees and workers;
the goods or services they provide;
the countries in which they operate; and
their relationship with NoSweat.
Where this Code establishes a higher reasonable ethical standard than the minimum legal requirement, NoSweat encourages Suppliers to follow the higher standard, provided doing so does not conflict with applicable law.
Nothing in this Code replaces or overrides a Supplier’s contractual or statutory obligations.
4. Ethical Business Conduct
Suppliers must conduct their business honestly and with integrity.
Suppliers must not knowingly participate in:
fraud;
theft;
dishonesty;
misrepresentation;
corruption;
bribery;
kickbacks;
improper payments;
falsification of records; or
other unlawful or unethical conduct.
South Africa’s Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004 establishes offences relating to corruption and corrupt activities and contains reporting obligations in specified circumstances. (Government of South Africa)
Suppliers must maintain accurate records relating to transactions and services provided to NoSweat and must not create false or misleading invoices, expense claims, supporting documents or business records.
5. Bribery and Corruption
NoSweat has zero tolerance for bribery and corruption.
Suppliers must not directly or indirectly offer, promise, give, request or accept money, gifts, benefits or anything else of value with the intention of improperly influencing:
a commercial decision;
candidate selection;
a client decision;
the award of a contract;
a procurement decision;
a payment;
a referral; or
any other business outcome.
Suppliers must also not use intermediaries, subcontractors or other third parties to make payments or provide benefits that would be prohibited if made directly.
6. Gifts and Hospitality
Reasonable and modest business hospitality may be acceptable where it is:
lawful;
infrequent;
transparent;
appropriate to the business relationship; and
not intended to influence a decision improperly.
Cash, cash equivalents, secret commissions and extravagant or inappropriate gifts are not acceptable.
A Supplier should never offer a gift or benefit where a reasonable person could interpret it as an attempt to influence a NoSweat business decision.
7. Conflicts of Interest
Suppliers must avoid situations in which personal, financial or other interests could improperly influence—or reasonably appear to influence—their responsibilities to NoSweat.
Potential conflicts may include:
financial interests in a NoSweat client or competitor;
undisclosed personal relationships affecting a business decision;
payments or incentives from parties involved in a NoSweat transaction;
competing commercial interests; or
using confidential NoSweat information for personal advantage.
Actual or potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed promptly to NoSweat.
Disclosure does not necessarily prevent a relationship from continuing. It allows the situation to be assessed transparently.
8. Fair Labour Practices
Suppliers must respect the rights and dignity of workers and comply with applicable employment and labour legislation.
Where South African employment legislation applies, this includes relevant requirements under legislation such as the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, which regulates basic conditions of employment. (Government of South Africa)
Suppliers should ensure, where applicable, that workers:
receive agreed and legally compliant remuneration;
work under lawful conditions;
receive appropriate employment information;
are not subjected to unlawful deductions;
are treated fairly and respectfully; and
are able to exercise their lawful employment rights.
9. Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking
NoSweat does not tolerate slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, debt bondage, trafficking in persons or exploitative recruitment.
Suppliers must not:
use forced or trafficked labour;
restrict a worker’s freedom to leave employment unlawfully;
confiscate identity documents as a means of control;
use threats or coercion to compel work;
deliberately withhold wages as a means of forcing someone to remain in employment;
participate in debt bondage;
engage in deceptive recruitment; or
knowingly benefit from human trafficking.
South Africa’s Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act 7 of 2013 creates offences relating to trafficking in persons and establishes measures intended to prevent trafficking and protect victims. (Government of South Africa)
Suppliers should also familiarise themselves with NoSweat’s Anti-Slavery & Human Trafficking Policy.
10. Child Labour
Suppliers must not knowingly engage in unlawful or exploitative child labour.
Any employment of young persons must comply with applicable legislation governing minimum working age, permitted work and the protection of children.
Children must never be employed in work that is unlawful, exploitative, dangerous or harmful to their wellbeing, education or development.
11. Equality, Dignity and Non-Discrimination
Suppliers are expected to provide a professional environment in which people are treated with dignity and respect.
Unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation and victimisation are not acceptable.
Where applicable, Suppliers must comply with South African employment-equity legislation. The Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, as amended, forms part of South Africa’s statutory employment-equity framework. (Government of South Africa)
Business and employment decisions should be based on legitimate and relevant considerations rather than unlawful discriminatory factors.
12. Harassment and Abuse
Suppliers must not tolerate:
physical abuse;
sexual harassment;
bullying;
threats;
degrading treatment;
intimidation; or
other abusive conduct in the workplace.
Workers, candidates, clients and other persons should be treated professionally and respectfully.
13. Health and Safety
Suppliers must provide a working environment that is safe and appropriate to the nature of the work being performed.
Where applicable, Suppliers must comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 and other relevant health and safety requirements. The Act is intended to provide for the health and safety of people at work and protect other persons from workplace-related health and safety hazards. (Government of South Africa)
Suppliers should take reasonable steps to:
identify workplace risks;
reduce preventable hazards;
provide appropriate equipment and training;
report and investigate serious incidents; and
maintain safe working practices.
These principles apply appropriately to on-site, remote and hybrid working arrangements.
14. Candidate and Worker Treatment
Because NoSweat connects professionals with employment and freelance opportunities, Suppliers interacting with candidates or workers on NoSweat’s behalf must behave fairly and professionally.
NoSweat’s platform provides candidates with job details and remuneration information before they decide whether to apply, and joining the talent pool is free. (No Sweat)
Suppliers involved in candidate-facing services must therefore not:
charge candidates unauthorised fees;
misrepresent opportunities;
knowingly provide false information regarding remuneration or conditions;
improperly pressure candidates to accept work;
misuse candidate information;
discriminate unlawfully in providing services; or
attempt to circumvent agreed NoSweat processes for improper personal gain.
15. Privacy and Personal Information
Suppliers who receive or process personal information in connection with NoSweat must protect it appropriately.
This is particularly important because NoSweat’s services involve information relating to candidates, clients, applications, CVs, qualifications and, where required, verification processes. (No Sweat)
Where the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) applies, Suppliers must comply with their applicable responsibilities. POPIA establishes minimum requirements for the processing and protection of personal information by public and private bodies. (Government of South Africa)
Suppliers must:
process personal information only for authorised purposes;
collect only information reasonably required for those purposes;
restrict access to authorised persons;
keep information appropriately secure;
avoid unauthorised disclosure;
comply with applicable retention requirements;
delete or return information when appropriately required;
assist NoSweat with legitimate privacy obligations where contractually required; and
notify NoSweat promptly of suspected or actual unauthorised access or disclosure involving NoSweat information.
16. Security and Cybersecurity
Suppliers accessing NoSweat systems or information must maintain reasonable technical and organisational security safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information involved.
Depending on the Supplier and services provided, appropriate safeguards may include:
strong authentication;
appropriate password controls;
access restrictions;
encryption;
secure backups;
malware protection;
software updates and security patches;
staff awareness;
incident-response procedures; and
secure deletion of data.
Suppliers must not knowingly introduce malicious software, unauthorised code or other security threats into NoSweat systems.
17. Data and Artificial Intelligence
Where a Supplier uses artificial intelligence, machine learning or automated technologies while providing services to NoSweat, those technologies must be used responsibly.
Unless expressly authorised, Suppliers must not:
upload NoSweat confidential information into public AI systems;
use candidate or client personal information to train an AI model;
disclose CVs, identity documents or other personal information to an AI provider for unrelated purposes;
use NoSweat data to develop unrelated commercial products; or
permit AI-generated output to substitute for required professional review where accuracy or legal compliance is important.
Where AI is used with NoSweat information, Suppliers must comply with applicable privacy, confidentiality, intellectual-property and security requirements.
18. Confidentiality
Suppliers may gain access to confidential information concerning NoSweat, its clients, candidates or business activities.
Such information must:
be used only for the authorised purpose;
be disclosed only to persons with a legitimate need to know;
be appropriately protected from unauthorised access;
not be used for personal advantage; and
not be disclosed publicly without appropriate authorisation.
Confidentiality obligations may continue after the Supplier relationship ends.
19. Intellectual Property
Suppliers must respect:
copyright;
trademarks;
software licences;
confidential know-how;
designs;
databases;
trade secrets; and
other intellectual-property rights.
Suppliers must not knowingly use pirated software, unlicensed material or intellectual property belonging to third parties without appropriate rights or permission.
Ownership of intellectual property created in connection with NoSweat services will be governed by the applicable contract or agreement.
20. Responsible Use of Technology
Suppliers must not use NoSweat technology, systems or information to:
gain unauthorised access to systems;
scrape or extract data without permission;
distribute malware;
conduct fraudulent activities;
impersonate another person;
send unlawful communications;
compromise account credentials; or
interfere with the security or operation of NoSweat’s services.
Any suspected compromise of NoSweat accounts or systems should be reported promptly.
21. Fair Competition
Suppliers must compete fairly and comply with applicable competition laws.
Suppliers must not participate in unlawful arrangements involving matters such as:
price fixing;
bid rigging;
market allocation;
collusive tendering; or
other prohibited anti-competitive practices.
Information obtained through a relationship with NoSweat must not be improperly used to disadvantage competitors or manipulate a commercial process.
22. Financial Integrity
Suppliers must maintain accurate financial and business records relating to work performed for NoSweat.
Invoices and supporting information must accurately reflect:
services or goods actually supplied;
agreed rates;
applicable taxes;
approved expenses; and
relevant contractual terms.
NoSweat will not knowingly approve fraudulent, artificially inflated or misleading invoices.
23. Tax and Statutory Compliance
Suppliers are responsible for complying with tax, licensing, registration and statutory obligations applicable to their own businesses.
Suppliers must not knowingly:
evade lawful tax obligations;
submit false tax documentation;
falsify supplier credentials; or
assist another party in unlawful tax evasion.
Where NoSweat is legally required to make deductions, obtain documentation or report information to an authority, Suppliers are expected to cooperate appropriately.
24. Environmental Responsibility
NoSweat encourages Suppliers to conduct business in an environmentally responsible manner.
Where relevant to their operations, Suppliers should take reasonable steps to:
reduce unnecessary waste;
use energy and resources efficiently;
recycle where practical;
minimise unnecessary printing;
dispose of electronic and hazardous waste responsibly;
reduce avoidable environmental harm; and
comply with applicable environmental laws.
We recognise that environmental impact and appropriate measures differ substantially between a software provider, professional consultant and physical-goods supplier. Expectations should therefore be proportionate to the nature and scale of the Supplier’s operations.
25. Subcontractors
Where a Supplier uses subcontractors to perform material parts of its obligations to NoSweat, it should take reasonable steps to ensure that those subcontractors:
are appropriately qualified;
operate lawfully;
protect NoSweat information;
comply with applicable contractual requirements; and
maintain standards consistent with the relevant principles of this Code.
Use of a subcontractor does not remove the Supplier’s responsibility for obligations it has undertaken toward NoSweat.
26. Accurate Representations
Suppliers must provide accurate and truthful information regarding matters such as:
qualifications;
experience;
licences;
certifications;
company ownership;
regulatory status;
references;
pricing;
service capabilities; and
material subcontracting arrangements.
Documents provided to NoSweat must not knowingly be falsified, altered or misleading.
27. Reporting Concerns
Suppliers, workers and other persons are encouraged to report suspected serious misconduct connected with NoSweat, including concerns relating to:
fraud;
bribery or corruption;
human trafficking or forced labour;
serious worker exploitation;
unlawful discrimination;
theft;
misuse of personal information;
serious cybersecurity incidents;
conflicts of interest; or
other significant breaches of this Code.
Concerns may be reported to:
Sebastian van ’t Hoff
No Sweat Work Media CC
Email:sebastian@nosweat.co.za
Telephone / WhatsApp: +27 81 818 2053
NoSweat’s current public website lists these as its business contact details. (No Sweat)
Where South Africa’s Protected Disclosures Act 26 of 2000 applies, it provides procedures for specified disclosures concerning unlawful or irregular workplace conduct and protections for persons making qualifying protected disclosures. (Government of South Africa)
28. No Retaliation
NoSweat does not support retaliation against a person who raises a genuine concern in good faith.
Suppliers should likewise provide appropriate mechanisms for workers to report legitimate concerns without intimidation, harassment or improper retaliation.
This does not protect deliberately false or malicious allegations.
29. Supplier Due Diligence
NoSweat may conduct reasonable due diligence on Suppliers depending on:
the nature of the service;
access to confidential or personal information;
financial value;
geographic risk;
regulatory requirements; and
other relevant circumstances.
This may include requesting information relating to:
corporate identity;
ownership;
references;
qualifications or licences;
information-security practices;
privacy practices;
insurance;
conflicts of interest; and
other compliance matters.
The level of due diligence will be proportionate to the nature and risk of the relationship.
30. Cooperation and Verification
Where reasonably necessary and consistent with contractual and legal rights, NoSweat may ask a Supplier to provide information demonstrating compliance with material provisions of this Code.
Suppliers are expected to cooperate reasonably with enquiries concerning credible allegations of serious misconduct.
NoSweat does not require unrestricted access to a Supplier’s confidential business information merely because this Code applies.
31. Breaches and Remediation
If NoSweat becomes aware of a potential breach of this Code, we may:
request an explanation;
request corrective action;
agree a remediation plan;
increase oversight;
suspend particular activities;
restrict access to NoSweat information or systems;
suspend new work;
terminate the Supplier relationship in accordance with applicable agreements; or
report suspected unlawful conduct to an appropriate authority where warranted.
Our response will take into account the nature, severity, intentionality and consequences of the breach and the Supplier’s willingness and ability to remedy it.
Where possible, NoSweat prefers genuine corrective action over automatic termination, particularly where immediate termination could itself adversely affect workers or other innocent parties.
32. Responsibility for Compliance
Suppliers are responsible for ensuring that persons involved in supplying goods or services to NoSweat understand the requirements relevant to their work.
Senior management of a Supplier should promote appropriate ethical conduct and should address credible non-compliance.
33. Relationship With Supplier Agreements
This Code supplements, rather than replaces, agreements entered into between NoSweat and its Suppliers.
Where a contract imposes stricter requirements, the contract will apply.
Where there is a direct conflict between this Code and an applicable written agreement, the applicable agreement will govern unless the law requires otherwise.
Publication of this Code on the NoSweat website does not, by itself, amend an existing contract unless the contract expressly incorporates this Code or the parties otherwise agree.
34. Related NoSweat Policies
Suppliers should familiarise themselves with NoSweat policies relevant to the services they provide, including:
Privacy Policy
POPIA & Data Protection
Cookie Policy
PAIA Manual
Anti-Slavery & Human Trafficking Policy
Additional contractual confidentiality, data-processing, security or service-specific requirements may also apply.
35. Review of This Code
NoSweat may review and update this Supplier Code of Conduct periodically to reflect:
changes in legislation;
regulatory guidance;
changes in NoSweat’s services;
new technologies;
identified risks; and
evolving responsible-business practices.
The current version will be published on www.nosweat.co.za.
36. Supplier Acknowledgement
Where requested by NoSweat, a Supplier may be required to acknowledge that it has:
received or been provided access to this Code;
reviewed the provisions relevant to its services;
agrees to comply with applicable requirements; and
will notify NoSweat of material concerns or breaches affecting its relationship with NoSweat.
A Supplier’s acknowledgement of this Code does not create an employment relationship between NoSweat and the Supplier or the Supplier’s employees, contractors or subcontractors.
37. Contact NoSweat
Questions regarding this Supplier Code of Conduct may be directed to:
No Sweat Work Media CC
Trading as NoSweat
Registration Number: 2009/090625/23
Contact: Sebastian van ’t Hoff
Email:sebastian@nosweat.co.za
Telephone / WhatsApp: +27 81 818 2053
Website:www.nosweat.co.za
South Africa