BAUMGARTEN-Group Ethics and Principles of Conduct whereby all companies of the BAUMGARTEN-Group commit in the same way to their social responsibilities with regards to all employees, business partners and government institutions as well as with regards to the environment and society.
The principles define the requirements, which we set for us and our suppliers and sub-suppliers of goods and services with regards their own responsibility towards mankind and the environment. The sections on competition and cartel law and international trade contain concrete supplier responsibilities towards their BAUMGARTEN client.
We expect, therefore, that you comply with the following principles of conduct as far as your own business transactions and decisions are concerned and that you do as best you can to obligate your sub-suppliers according to these principles as appropriate.
Our Ethics and Principles of Conduct apply to all internal collaborative activities within the BAUMGARTEN-Group as well as with regards to our employees, business partners, government institutions and society. They describe the salient principles, which are the basis for legal and ethical conduct and which represent the personal integrity of each individual. They are obligatory for all employees, whereby managerial members of staff have a particular function as role models due to their responsibilities towards personnel and management. The infringement of these principles results in disciplinary consequences, irrespective of possible sanctions provided for by law.
In cases of doubt, each employee is advised to seek appropriate advice from the internal responsible bodies (e.g. line managers, personnel department).
We are aware of our social responsibility and act accordingly. We abide by the principles of law and respect the generally recognised customs of the countries in which we operate. Our own set regulations, guidelines and commitments (“BAUMGARTEN-Standards”) apply as minimum standards.
Hereby integrity and attention to the rights of third parties determine the conduct towards our employees, business partners and the social environment. In particular, we respect and support the compliance with internationally recognised human and children’s rights and reject any form of forced and child labour.
Our principle of conduct with each other is respect towards all colleagues. We do not allow any personal discrimination on the grounds of national origin, colour, gender, age, religion, handicap or private ways of life. Everyone must ensure that the wellbeing and safety of all employees of the BAUMGARTEN-Group is safeguarded.
We expect that all BAUMGARTEN-Group employees support our company actively, protect its resources and are willing to undergo further training. Our management principles are based accordingly on the precepts of delegating responsibility and trusting cooperation. This includes that all BAUMGARTEN-Group employees are sufficiently informed about all matters that are important to their work and – as far as possible – are included in decision-making processes.
All BAUMGARTEN-Group employees are fairly and appropriately remunerated for their services. We comply worldwide with the respective valid regulations on working hours as a minimum standard.
We support fair competition within the framework of legal provisions. Cartel agreements such as the dividing up of regions or customers, agreements on prices, delivery conditions or capacities and the exchange of competition sensitive information with competitors are prohibited. We are aware that non-compliance with competition law regulations can result in high monetary penalties and other serious disadvantages for the BAUMGARTEN-Group and the persons concerned.
All BAUMGARTEN-Group employees are forbidden to offer benefits and preferential treatment, especially in connection with the procurement, commissioning, supply, settlement and payment of orders, irrespective of whether the recipients are representatives of government bodies, organisations or commercial enterprises.
Accepting and granting of gifts and other donations is only permitted when their value is negligible and they do not enter the giver or the receiver into a relationship of dependence. In instances of doubt, the written consent of the responsible line manager must be obtained.
We regard our compliance with international agreements and national legislation and provisions on the control of international trade and financial transactions, such as the laws and provisions on import and export controls, as a matter of course. Our employees, who are responsible for this, must know, understand and comply with all laws, regulations, guidelines and processes, which apply to this.
The necessary conservation of resources and the protection of the environment constitute corporate practice for us. By actively involving all of our employees, we promote an environmentally conscious way of thinking. Our measures with regards to environmentally friendly design comprise the whole of our product range and all production processes. Hereby we consider the entire life cycle of the products, from the use of the raw materials to product development, production and product use to waste disposal and recycling.
We ensure the protection of privacy and the safety of business data and company secrets when processing confidential data. All our employees are duty bound to protect these secrets and not to make them accessible without authorisation to any third party in any way whatsoever. Here, we comply with legal and contractual requirements and always according to the latest state-of-the-art technology.
We enter into agreements with our business partners fully, clearly and in writing. Suppliers and service providers are selected purely on a competitive basis. We conduct all business exclusively in the interest of the BAUMGARTEN-Group and not on the basis of personal or private relationships and motivations. We observe internal rules of conduct for this (e.g. the four-eye principle). We consider our values and principles of conduct to be important criteria for long-term and successful collaboration. Therefore, we encourage our business partners to introduce and implement similar principles.