Human rights and working conditions

It is essential for us that all business activities take into account social responsibility to-wards our own employees and society. As stated in the “Joint Declaration on Human Rights and Working Conditions” and the “Code on Human Rights and Working Conditions”, this applies both to us and to our business partners.

All suppliers are therefore called upon to observe the principles and rights set out in the guidelines of the UN Global Compact initiative and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up, and to align their due diligence processes with the requirements of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Of particular importance is the respect for human dignity and internationally recognized human rights, such as

• the prohibition of child labor,
• the prohibition of modern slavery (i.e. slavery, servitude and forced or coerced labor and human trafficking),
• the prohibition of harassment and discrimination,
• guaranteeing the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining and
• compliance with all applicable labor regulations, e.g. with regard to working hours, remuneration and social benefits as well as occupational safety

Occupational safety and health protection

We expect all suppliers to comply with both national and international standards and laws on occupational health and safety and to operate an effective, certified occupational health and safety management system, e.g. according to ISO 45001, in order to minimize risks to the health and safety of employees, including contractors on site, and to improve working conditions.

Responsible raw material procurement

Extraction, production, transport, trade, processing and export of certain raw materials along the upstream value chain can be associated with high ESG risks for people and the environment. Our goal is to only use raw materials in our products whose extraction, production, transport, trade, processing and export do not directly or indirectly contribute to human rights violations, health and safety problems, environmental pollution or compliance violations.

We have established processes for raw materials such as tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold (so-called “3TG”) from conflict and high-risk areas (so-called “CAHRAs”) such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other raw materials such as cobalt, lithium, copper, etc. and expect our suppliers to do the same. Smelters and refineries without an appropriate and verified due diligence process should be excluded. Upon request, suppliers should provide information about their supply chain, including information about the origin of the material, such as through the RMI’s “Responsible Minerals Assurance Process” (RMAP).

Raw materials should be sourced from verified sources, e.g. where possible using independent third-party certification such as the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) Responsible Mining Standard.

Indigenous peoples

The rights of indigenous peoples and local communities should be respected, promoted and protected throughout the supply chain in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Suppliers are obliged not to participate in land grabbing, to obtain free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) from existing land users as defined in the UN-REDD program and to promote appropriate compensation if the supplier has been granted land use.

Animal welfare and animal protection

It is very important to us that business activities also take the welfare of animals into ac-count. Therefore, affected suppliers are expected to implement standards and best practice methods for compliance with animal welfare along the entire supply chain. Animal testing should generally be avoided and alternative non-animal testing methods should be preferred, unless animal testing is mandatory by law. In all cases, national and international regulations on animal welfare and animal testing, such as the German Animal Welfare Act or Directive 2010/63 of the European Union (so-called ‘Laboratory Animal Directive’), must be observed.

In addition, we are committed to the following ethical principles and expect them to be adhered to by suppliers and subcontractors along the entire supply chain:

• The “3R” principle for animal testing (Reduction, Refinement, Replacement),
• the “Five Freedoms” of the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) for assessing the welfare of animals and
• the principles of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) on animal welfare (Terrestrial Animal Health Code).