Our company is committed to respecting internationally recognized human rights and to protecting the environment throughout the entire value chain. These principles describe our understanding of human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD) and define the guidelines for responsible corporate conduct.
In doing so, we are guided by:
These principles apply to all employees, managers, and corporate bodies of our company. In addition, we expect our business partners, suppliers, and service providers to comply with comparable standards or to work toward implementing them.
We respect all internationally recognized human rights. These include in particular:
We tolerate no human rights violations – neither within our own business operations nor among our direct business partners.
A key component of our human rights and environmental due diligence is the promotion of fair trade practices. Wherever possible, we prioritize Fairtrade principles and other recognized sustainability and social standards in our procurement and collaboration with suppliers.
Fairtrade stands for fair prices, safe working conditions, transparency, and the protection of the environment and natural resources. By adhering to Fairtrade standards, we contribute to:
• improving the income and living conditions of producers, particularly in high-risk countries,
• combating child and forced labor,
• promoting equality and participation,
• supporting environmentally sound production methods and the use of sustainable raw materials.
We understand long-term and close partnerships as an effective tool for risk minimization within our HREDD processes. However, they do not replace our own responsibility for risk analysis and the implementation of appropriate prevention and remediation measures.
In dialogue with our business partners, we are working to strengthen the principles of human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD) and to anchor them in our supply and value chains in the long term.
Protecting the environment is an integral part of our corporate responsibility. We are committed to:
Corporate due diligence serves to systematically embed responsible conduct within the company. It includes the identification, assessment, and management of human rights and environmental risks, as well as the obligation to take effective measures, monitor their implementation, and report on them transparently.
To fulfill our human rights and environmental due diligence obligations, we pursue a continuous and appropriate process:
We regularly identify and assess actual and potential risks to human rights and the environment within our own business operations and among our business partners.
Based on the risk analysis, we take appropriate and effective measures to prevent identified risks. These include, among others, internal policies, training programs, clearly defined responsibilities, and contractual requirements for business partners.
If we identify actual adverse impacts on human rights or the environment, we work toward ending or minimizing them and take appropriate remedial actions.
We regularly review the effectiveness of our measures and adjust them as necessary. In doing so, we take into account internal findings as well as developments in our supply and value chains.
We provide appropriate and accessible channels through which employees and external stakeholders can report information on human rights or environmental risks and violations. Reports are handled confidentially and without disadvantage to the reporting person.
We document the fulfillment of our due diligence obligations and report transparently and comprehensibly on material risks, measures taken, and their effectiveness.
Overall responsibility for the implementation of these principles lies with the management. All employees are encouraged to contribute to compliance with these principles through their conduct.
We expect our business partners to:
These principles are reviewed regularly and adjusted as necessary to reflect new legal requirements, international standards, and internal company developments.
These principles enter into force upon publication and form part of our corporate responsibility and sustainability strategy.