CODE OF ETHICS
Published on January 16, 2007
Exhibit
14.1
VISUALANT,
INC.
CODE
OF ETHICS FOR EMPLOYEES AND DIRECTORS
Adopted
as of June 16, 2006
I.
Application and Policy Statement
This
Code
of Ethics (this “Code”)
shall
apply to all Visualant, Inc., employees, including employees of the Company’s
subsidiaries (“Employees”),
as
well as each member of the Company’s Board of Directors (“Directors”).
Every
Employee and Director must be familiar with and understand the provisions of
this Code. The purpose of this Code is to promote.
•
Honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual
or
apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional
relationships;
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•
Full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in reports
and
documents that the Company files with, or submits to, the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)
and in other public communications;
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•
Compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations;
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•
The prompt internal reporting of violations of this Code; and
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•
Accountability for adherence to this Code.
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II.
Honest and Ethical Conduct
All
Employees and Directors shall perform their duties in an honest and ethical
manner. They shall handle all actual or apparent conflicts of interest between
their personal and professional relationships in an ethical manner. It is
important to use common sense, good judgment and act in good faith.
All
Employees and Directors should avoid situations in which their personal, family
or financial interests conflict or even appear to conflict with those of the
Company. Employees and Directors may not engage in activities that compete
with
the Company or compromise its interests. No Employee or Director should take
for
his or her own benefit any opportunity discovered in the course of employment
that the Employee or Director has reason to know would benefit the
Company.
The
Company encourages Employees and Directors to avoid even the appearance of
a
conflict of interest and to raise ethical questions, dilemmas, concerns or
suggestions with appropriate individuals within the Company, including
supervisors, managers, senior management, or human resources. The Company has
since its inception encouraged such issues to be raised and, based upon prior
experience, many, if not most, of these issues can be addressed informally,
after appropriate discussion and analysis.
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If
any
Employee or Director would feel uncomfortable in any way raising ethical
issues
as set forth above, or if they raise such issues and they are not resolved
appropriately, then lie or she should consult with the Audit Committee to
address such matters , who will follow the procedures approved by the Audit
Committee for resolving such matters. The Audit Committee will also follow
the
procedures described in Section VII below. Any Employee or Director who becomes
involved in a situation that `rives rise to an actual conflict of interest
must
promptly inform the Audit Committee of such conflict.
III.
Compliance with Governmental Laws, Rules and Regulations
Each
Employee and Director shall comply with all applicable laws, rules and
regulations of federal, state and local governments.
IV.
Full, Fair, Accurate, Timely and Understandable Disclosure
The
Company is committed to ensuring that all disclosures in reports and documents
that the Company files with, or submits to, the SEC, as well as other public
communications made by the Company arc full, fair, accurate, timely and
understandable. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer, President, and Chief
Financial Officer are ultimately responsible for taking all necessary steps
to
ensure that this occurs. All Employees and Directors shall take appropriate
steps within their area of responsibility to ensure the same.
V.
Publication of the Code of Ethics
The
Company’s Code of Ethics for Employees and Directors will be posted and
maintained on the Company’s website and posting will be disclosed in the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K.
VI.
Changes to or Waivers from the Code
Any
substantive change to or waiver (i.e., a material departure from the
requirements of any provision) of this Code granted to an executive officer
or
Director shall require pre-approval from the Company’s Board of Directors after
receipt of a recommendation from a committee comprised of independent Directors
and shall be disclosed within four (4) business days of such action in a filing
on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company will also
retain such disclosure for not less than five (5) years.
VII.
Internal Reporting of Violations
Any
Employee or Director who in good faith believes or suspects that any portion
of
this Code has been violated (including any violation of Section IV of this
Code)
or has a complaint regarding the Company’s accounting practices, internal
accounting controls or other auditing matter and does not feel comfortable
addressing the issue with individuals identified in Section II should
immediately report such violation to the Audit Committee. Any such report will
be promptly evaluated and/or investigated.
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Any
person reporting such a violation should be prepared to provide as much detail
as possible about the suspected violation, including the individuals involved,
the nature of the violation, documentation of the violation, or any other
information which may be helpful in the Company’s evaluation and, if necessary,
investigation of the complaint. Prompt disclosure to the appropriate parties
is
vital to ensure a thorough and timely evaluation and appropriate resolution.
A
violation of this Code is a serious matter and could have legal implications.
Allegations of such behavior are not taken lightly and should not lie made
to
embarrass someone or put him or her in a false light. Therefore, reports of
suspected violations should always be made in good faith.
VIII.
No Retaliation
The
Company will not tolerate any retaliation against any person who provides
information in good faith to a Company or law enforcement official concerning
a
possible violation of any law, regulation or this Code. Any Employee or Director
who violates this rule may be subject to civil, criminal and administrative
penalties, as well as disciplinary action, up to and including termination
of
employment.
IX.
Consequences for Non-Compliance with this Code
•
Disciplinary
Actions.
Any violation of applicable law or any deviation from the standards
embodied in this Code may result in disciplinary action, which may
include
termination of employment. In addition to imposing discipline upon
Employees or Directors involved in non-compliant conduct, the Company
may
also impose discipline, as appropriate, upon an Employee’s supervisor, if
any, who directs or approves such Employee’s improper actions, or is aware
of those actions but does not act appropriately to correct them, and
upon
other individuals who fail to report known non-compliant conduct.
Disciplinary action shall be documented, as appropriate. In addition
to
imposing its own discipline, the Company will bring suspected violations
of law to the attention of appropriate law enforcement personnel.
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•
Required
Government Reporting.
Whenever conduct occurs that requires a report to the government, the
Audit Committee, with the assistance of the Company’s outside legal
counsel shall be responsible for complying with such reporting
requirements.
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Corrective
Actions.
In the event of a violation of this Code, the Audit Committee will
assess
the situation to determine whether the violation demonstrates a problem
that requires remedial action as to Company policies and procedures.
Such
corrective action may include retraining Employees, modifying Company
policies and procedures, improving monitoring of compliance under existing
procedures and other action necessary to detect similar non-compliant
conduct and prevent it from occurring in the future. Such corrective
action shall be documented, as appropriate.
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Visualant,
Inc.
Guidelines
for Handling Issues Relating to the Company’s Code of Ethics
In
order
to ensure the full effectiveness of the Company’s Code of Ethics (the
“Code”),
the
Company has developed guidelines for resolving issues, complaints or questions
which relate to or arise out of the Code.
1.
The
Audit Committee shall as a group be responsible for:
a.
Administering the Code;
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b.
Communicating with Employees and Directors about the Code and their
obligations under the Code;
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c.
Handling (either personally or through supervision of others) issues,
complaints, or questions regarding the Code, including complaints made
through the confidential hotline established pursuant to the Code;
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d.
Communicating with the Audit Committee regarding violations or suspected
violations of the Code; and
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e.
Maintaining a written log of all complaints received by the Ethics
Officer.
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2.
The
Chair of the Audit Committee shall report to the full committee on a regular
basis in a manner designated by the Audit Committee regarding issues, complaints
and/or violations of the Code. However, the Chair shall immediately report
to
the Audit Committee in the event of the following:
a.
Complaints or concerns regarding the accuracy of the Company’s reported
financial statements; or
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b.
Complaints or concerns regarding violations or suspected violations
of the
Code by any Director, executive officer, the Controller, General Counsel,
the Ethics Officer(s), or the head of human resources, security,
facilities, investor relations or government relations
departments.
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