The responsibility of our company has grown significantly in recent years and we will also face major challenges in the future. Legal matters in our business processes are playing an increasingly important rote. This is why SÜDPACK has formulated and adopted group-wide compliance guidelines, which aim to help the company avoid legal risks and more effectively meet its responsibility to customers, authorities and the general public.
The Legal Register is used to monitor existing legislation. Due to the ever-changing ethical and legal global requirements, the compliance guidelines are continuously reviewed and adapted as are the related corporate requirements. The introduction of a compliance management system is planned for this purpose, which is also to be certified.
Observance of the compliance guidelines is evaluated by the Management Board as part of the annual management review. Group-wide compliance management falls within the remit of the Finance Director, who has also been appointed as Compliance Manager.
Employee training on the subject of compliance is conducted as part of mandatory annual training, which is available as an e-learning course. For employees who have decision-making authority and work with external stakeholders, at least one additional, detailed compliance training course is required once a year. In these training courses, aspects are demonstrated such as how to behave appropriately when interacting with interested parties (authorities, NGOs, customers, etc).
The aim of our Code of Conduct is to help us to respond properly and appropriately to ethical and legal issues that arise in our daily work, strategic considerations and decision-making processes. In the event that regional circumstances make it necessary, local standards complement the Code of Conduct.
Our aspiration to conduct all business in an ethically and legally sound manner is intrinsically linked
to the way we behave in our day-to-day work.
In addition to internal regulations, we naturally expect all employees without exception to comply with
all laws, to avoid conflicts of interest, to protect the assets of our company, and, based on our Western-influenced ethics and European legal culture, to respect the customs, traditions and social values of the countries and cultural circles in which we do business.
No violations of laws, regulations or voluntary commitments were identified before or during the
reporting period.
Applicable law is upheld at SÜDPACK. We call for the same from our business partners. This is why principles are defined in the compliance guidelines that apply when interacting with colleagues, customers, suppliers, other companies, competitors, associations and authorities. They are intended to aid the transfer of behavioral requirements to daily work in selected areas. As a source of behavioral requirements, legislation is supplemented by ethical principles. Ethics describes the basic social consensus on the values that are indispensable for social behavior, and fair and respectful treatment of one another.
All of the local, state and federal laws, ordinances, directives, etc. that apply to SÜDPACK are recorded in a Legal Register and compliance with obligations that apply to SÜDPACK is verified. The Legal Register is examined to ensure it is up to date at least once a year. During the examination, local as well as transregional laws and national customs, traditions and other social standards are observed. No employee of the company may knowingly participate in the development of substances or systems, which must be presumed to be subject to export control laws and are transported without the authorization of the appropriate authorities in third countries. Likewise, no employee may commit acts that violate domestic or foreign regulations for combatting money laundering.
Each employee bears individual responsibility for SÜDPACK's reputation. SÜDPACK's standing is fundamentally affected by the demeanor and actions of its employees, regardless of their position.
Actions and decisions must comply with the relevant laws and regulations, as well as with SÜDPACK's values and standards, and in each instance must be reasonable and free from personal conflicts of interest. SÜDPACK expects friendly, objective and fair interaction with other employees and third parties, guided by mutual respect. No one may be disadvantaged, favored, harassed or excluded due to their race, skin colour, nationality, origin, religion, gender, age, physical characteristics or appearance.
All SÜDPACK employees share responsibility for protecting people and the environment, and for ensuring that the sites we operate are safe and livable places. The company's fundamental corporate goals have long included the protection of human health and the environment as well as resource conservation. SÜDPACK is committed to operating in a sustainable and socially responsible manner, establishing safe and healthy working conditions and to also pursue continuous progress in the fields of safety, health and the environment. Through certification of the sites in Ochsenhausen and Bioggio according to ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001, environmental protection and occupational safety are continuously monitored and improved. In February and March 2021, the sites will transition to ISO 45001. In April 2021, certification according to ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 is to be carried out at the site in Kłobuck.
We behave impeccably in business relationships with our customers, suppliers and service providers, comply with applicable laws and corresponding provisions against corruption, bribery and fraud, and avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. We conduct our business so as to prevent the emergence of personal dependencies or obligations. We do not allow our business decisions or our behavior to be influenced by any form of gift, incentive or other advantage. We are aware that giving or receiving such advantages exposes SÜDPACK to legal risk and may damage our business relationships and our reputation.
The regulations cover matters such as how to handle confidential information, assets and research findings. To effectively protect central business processes, including the information values and IT systems that they require, globally applicable security standards were created and information security was integrated into our internal processes. Establishing uniform requirements across the company in terms of handling information, IT applications and IT systems delivers effective protection for corporate data and for the business processes necessary for the company's success and survival. This is performed in accordance with the current requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation.