
Company code
For the sake of readability, employees are hereinafter referred to as “employees” in a gender-neutral manner.
Compliance with the law
We are committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations of the countries in which we operate.
Prohibition of corruption and bribery
No form of corruption or bribery is permitted in any phase of business activities. Any active or passive form of bribery is prohibited.
Human rights
We are committed to respecting international human rights within our sphere of influence.
Forced labor
We reject any form of forced labor in our companies and with our business partners and prohibit all forms of modern slavery (i.e. slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labor and human trafficking).
Child labor
We reject active child labor in our companies and with our business partners and
observe the special duty to care for underage employees.
Discrimination and respect for others
We want to provide workplaces that are free from discrimination and harassment based on gender, race, skin color, religion, age, national origin, disability or sexual orientation (diversity, equality and inclusion). Employees in our company deserve mutual respect. We reject the use of private or public security forces to monitor our employees.
Remuneration and working hours
We recognize the right of our employees to appropriate remuneration and adhere to the legally guaranteed minimum wages and benefits in the respective labor markets. We comply with the applicable statutory regulations on working hours in all our companies.
Relationship with employees and employee representatives
We respect our employees’ right to freedom of association and wage negotiations. Irrespective of this, we always enable our employees to put forward their concerns directly.
Work-life balance
We are a family business. Through family-friendly measures, we help to increase the satisfaction and motivation of our employees and thus the performance of our company.
Health and safety
We want to maintain a safe and healthy working environment that meets or exceeds the relevant standards for health and safety in the workplace. We take appropriate measures to prevent work-related injuries and occupational illnesses as far as possible. We operate an active emergency and incident management system.
Employee development
We consider the development of our employees to be an essential investment in the future of our company. In addition to the development of professional skills, we also pay attention to the development of social and methodological skills.
Environmental responsibility
We maintain an efficient environmental management system at all production sites worldwide, which we are constantly improving. The minimum requirements are compliance with local environmental protection laws and the specifications of the Witte Group’s environmental protection management system. We work closely with our business partners and suppliers in exercising our environmental responsibility. We are working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, expand the use of renewable energies, decarbonize, ensure soil quality, avoid noise emissions and have a positive impact on air quality.
We focus on sustainable resource management, reuse and recycling and work to reduce our waste volumes and their composition.
We implement responsible chemical management.
We are working to improve water quality and reduce consumption. In addition to animal welfare, our impact on biodiversity and measures against deforestation, as well as ecological land use, are key criteria for evaluating our actions.
Conflicts of interest, gifts and attempts at bribery
We undertake not to accept any gifts or benefits or to hold any (company) shareholdings that could lead to a conflict of interest. In particular, no bribes or other illegal payments may be offered, made or accepted.
Suppliers
Through this Code of Conduct, we encourage our suppliers to introduce and implement similar principles of sustainable social, ecological and ethical responsibility in their companies.
Misconduct / whistleblowing
Our employees can freely report violations of our Code of Conduct at any time to their immediate supervisor, employee representatives, our HR department or directly to the management. Employees who provide information in good faith must not be disadvantaged in any way as a result of their comments.
Compliance with data protection regulations
We consistently implement the legal requirements and have our conduct continuously monitored and evaluated by an external officer.
Protection of confidential information
We respect the confidentiality of information that we receive from our partners and interested parties. If personnel have to work with this information, this is regulated in advance by appropriate confidentiality agreements.
Respecting trade controls
We respect trade controls and comply with international and national regulations.
Protection of assets and intellectual property
Our employees are responsible for protecting the company’s tangible and intangible assets within their area of activity. Tangible assets include, in particular, land, buildings, products, inventories and operating equipment as well as resources of all kinds.
Intangible assets include property rights (e.g. patents), trade secrets, know-how, technologies and important and sensitive information.
Every employee has a duty to handle these company assets responsibly and to use them exclusively for company-related purposes.
We recognize the intellectual property of competitors, business partners and other third parties. We reject plagiarism.
Financial responsibility
The books and records are kept in accordance with statutory, official and tax regulations and in compliance with internationally recognized accounting standards. We immediately allocate incoming payments to the corresponding services and post them. We ensure transparent and open cash flows.
Sustainable action
Our actions are characterized by sustainability, which we express through our actions with regard to ecological, social and ethical aspects.
Responsibility
We expect every employee to feel personally responsible for compliance with this Code of Conduct and to support their colleagues in adhering to it. The management is responsible for enforcing these principles.
Edition: 11.06.2024 r5