Global Standards

• We act according to our values and internationally recognized standards of conduct and review our performance with audits

Our standards fulfill or exceed existing laws and regulations and take internationally recognized principles into account. We respect and promote:

• The 10 principles of the U.N. Global Compact
• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the two U.N. Human Rights Covenants
• The core labor standards of the ILO and the Tripartite Declaration of Principles Concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration)
• The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
• The Responsible Care^® Global Charter
• The German Corporate Governance Code

We stipulate rules for our employees with standards that apply throughout the Group. We set ourselves ambitious goals with voluntary commitments and monitor our performance in terms of environmental protection, health and safety using our Responsible Care Management System. In terms of labor and social standards, this takes place using three elements: the Compliance Program (including the compliance hotlines, which can be used for internal and external questions or complaints), close dialog with our stakeholders (such as with employee representatives or international organizations), and the global management process to respect international labor norms.

Our business partners are expected to comply with prevailing laws and regulations and to align their actions with internationally recognized principles. We have established appropriate monitoring systems to ensure this.