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Together for compliance!
We see compliance not just as simply following the rules, but rather as the centrepiece of our corporate culture. By consistently implementing ethical standards and legal requirements, we not only ensure our success, but also our integrity. This is not only crucial for the long-term development of the Westfalen Group, but also strengthens the trust of our valued customers, business partners and employees.
Our management approach in the area of compliance is characterised by a clear commitment to leadership with integrity and transparency. We rely on proactive measures to ensure that all areas of the company fulfil the highest standards in terms of legality and ethics.
The Westfalen Group's compliance organisation is headed by the Management Board and, within this body, the Chief Finance Officer. The head of the Legal & Compliance department regularly informs the Management Board about compliance matters. The Compliance Manager is the direct point of contact for all legal compliance issues.
Compliance is an expression of the corporate culture, which is based on values such as integrity, fairness, responsibility, cohesion and quality.
The Code of Conduct is a guideline for our daily actions and a self-commitment that we take seriously. We expect ourselves and our business partners to adhere to the defined values and rules and to seek support in cases of doubt or violation. This is the only way we can strengthen trust in our company and maintain our good reputation.
We regard the recognition and respect of human rights and the protection of the environment as an integral part of our self-image and pursue the goal of strengthening human and environmental rights in the value chain and thus making our contribution to a transparent supply chain. For this reason, compliance with our Supplier Code of Conduct is the basis for our cooperation with the Westfalen Group. It defines the minimum requirements for our suppliers and business partners with regard to compliance with laws, human rights and environmental standards.
In order to achieve the goal of a sustainable value chain, we have implemented comprehensive ESG management at the Westfalen Group and appointed a human rights officer. We also carry out regular risk analyses in order to better assess and manage human rights and environmental risks in the supply chain as well as in our own business units.
Compliance can only be supported by the organisation as a whole. We therefore consider regular training on the topic of compliance to be essential. Employees from the Purchasing department also receive training on sustainability and transparency in the supply chain and are sensitised to the relevance of human rights and environmental issues.
Our whistleblower system is a bridge between employees, third parties and company management. Against the background of the EU Whistleblower Directive, the Whistleblower Protection Act and the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, the Westfalen Group has set up an office for reporting possible compliance violations to which employees of the Westfalen Group, but also third parties such as applicants, former employees, interns, suppliers and business partners, can turn in confidence. Our whistleblower system (available at Whistleblower system Westfalen AG (vispato.com)) is a confidential platform on which concerns and information regarding possible violations of our compliance guidelines can be reported securely, which must then be conscientiously investigated. In this way, we not only create a culture of trust, but also make it possible to recognise and rectify potential problems at an early stage.
Commitment and further development are important to us. As a member of the German Initiative for Compliance (DICO), we are actively committed to ensuring that compliance is not just a duty, but an integral part of our corporate culture.
DICO represents an association of companies that are jointly committed to ethically sound corporate governance. As a member of DICO, we are committed to an intensive exchange of best practices, trends and challenges in the area of compliance. This collaboration enables us to learn from the experiences of other members and at the same time share our own expertise.
This membership not only strengthens our position as a responsible company, but also demonstrates that we are prepared to achieve and maintain the highest standards of integrity and ethics. It is also a further step for us to ensure that our business practices meet the highest ethical standards. We are convinced that the dialogue within DICO will help us to continuously improve our compliance programme and meet the demands of an ever-changing business world.