Compliance

Whether in our dealings with customers and partners, in competition with our rivals or in our day-to-day work, respect, honesty, trust, tolerance and integrity are the principles of business conduct that the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe stands for and that make us successful – yesterday, today, and in the future. We consistently reject any illegal or unethical behaviour that conflicts with our values and principles.

To this end, we set out clear guidelines in our Code of Conduct and require our suppliers to adhere to the same principles. Should any concerns arise, they can be raised through our Speak-up Line.

Responsibility

As a family business, we think about future generations – our children and grandchildren. This is reflected in our sense of responsibility. We are currently conducting a materiality analysis to identify the relevant sustainability issues and translate them into a Group-wide sustainability strategy.

More to responsibility

Code of Conduct

For us, it’s not just the results that count, but also how we achieve them. The ethical and social principles described in our Code of Conduct guide all our actions and decisions. In this way, the Code of Conduct helps to protect the company and each individual employee.

More to Code of Conduct

Our digital Speak-up Line

If you suspect a possible violation of our values or of the law, we encourage you to report it. It is only with everyone’s help that we can identify compliance breaches at an early stage and take action to counter them. This is the only way we can remain a reliable business partner in the future.

Our digital Speak-up Line is available to employees, customers, suppliers and other partners. The channel is available around the world, 24 hours a day, in multiple languages, and can be used anonymously. This ensures maximum protection for reporters and sensitive data. Please also see our privacy policy.

Link to Speak-up Line

Employees can also report to the following people
▪️ Direct Manager
▪️ HR Manager
▪️ Compliance Team

The Speak-up Line is designed to receive and process reports of actual or suspected violations only, and is not available for general complaints.

Procedure for the Speak-up Line

HOW IT WORKS:

ENTERING THE INFORMATION TO THE SPEAK-UP LINE

The reporting channel uses a questionnaire to collect all relevant information. You can choose to remain anonymous.

REVIEW OF THE INCIDENT BY THE INTERNAL REPORTING OFFICE

Upon receipt of your incident, you will receive an acknowledgement of receipt. All incidents are reviewed by our internal reporting centre. If anything is unclear, the reporting centre representative may contact you again with further questions.

Reporters have absolutely nothing to fear. We will not tolerate any retaliation against reporters. The people who receive and process reports can act independently and impartially and are not bound by instructions. They are required to maintain confidentiality.

ACTION TAKEN BY THE REPORTING CENTRE COMMITTEE

If the internal investigation leads to a concrete suspicion: Your incident will be processed as quickly as possible and forwarded to our reporting centre committee with all available information.
If the suspicion is confirmed, the reporting centre committee will discuss appropriate remedial action and submit it to management for a decision.

If the investigation reveals no concrete suspicion: It doesn’t matter – it’s good that the case was investigated. You will be informed of the progress and outcome of the case. The length of the process may vary depending on the scope and complexity of the incident.