Our Values and Global Standards
How we act is critical to the successful implementation of our strategy and how our stakeholders perceive us. This is what our four corporate values represent: creative, open, responsible, entrepreneurial (CORE). They are binding for all employees worldwide. Together with our Code of Conduct and our global standards and guidelines, they provide the framework for responsible conduct.
Our CORE values define how we want to work together – as a team, with our customers and our partners.
Creative: We make great products and solutions for our customers. This is why we embrace bold ideas and give them space to grow. We act with optimism and inspire one another.
Open: We value diversity, in people, opinions and experience. This is why we foster feedback based on honesty, respect and mutual trust. We learn from setbacks.
Responsible: We value the health and safety of people above all else. We make sustainability part of every decision. We are committed to strict compliance and environmental standards.
Entrepreneurial: We focus on our customers, as individuals and as a company. We seize opportunities and think ahead. We take ownership and embrace personal accountability.
Our standards fulfill and in some cases, 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 binding rules for our employees with standards that apply throughout the Group. We set ourselves ambitious goals with voluntary commitments and regularly monitor our performance in environmental protection, health and safety with our Responsible Care Management System. We mainly approach our adherence to international labor and social standards using three elements: the Compliance Program including our Code of Conduct and compliance hotlines, close dialog with our stakeholders, 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.
For more information on stakeholder engagement, see
Good to know
CORE Leadership Values
Leaders have a special responsibility for our success, especially in challenging and changing times. Good leadership provides support and is vital to our employees’ motivation and performance. That is why we have derived specific leadership skills from each CORE corporate value – our CORE Leadership Values. They serve as guiding principles and describe our expectations of leadership behavior – such as living optimism, inspiring teams, promoting diversity and making even difficult decisions.
We support our leaders at every stage of their careers in fulfilling their responsibilities and acting as role models. One component of this is the CORE Leadership Upskilling program launched in 2021. It comprises a range of virtual training modules and learning resources that encourage self-reflection and provide opportunities for global dialog.
