Code of Conduct

Values and principles
The company`s employees are a key factor in its success. A company`s economic success depends to a large extent on its credibility and reliability in the eyes of the public. The customer` trust is fundamental to the company`s work and its future. Every single employee makes their own crucial contribution. Responsible and reliable conduct is therefore a must.

Conduct with each other
Polite, trustworthy and respectful interaction is a basic prerequisite for a sociable, harmonious and discrimination-free working environment and must therefore be a matter of course for all employees.
Ethnic and social origin, skin color, gender, age, marital status, disability, religion, nationality, culture or sexual orientation play no role whatsoever. All employees must behave as they would expect their colleagues, managers and the company itself to behave.

Occupational safety and health
Health is our most valuable asset - no job is so important that it can be permitted to proceed under inadequate safety precautions. SCHAEFER KALK therefore pledges to respect all important and necessary aspects of occupational safety and health and to comply with the corresponding requirements and laws.

Employee rights
SCHAEFER KALK respects internationally recognized human rights and fully supports their observance. We strictly reject any form of forced labor and child labor. We recognize the right of all employees to form trade unions and appoint employee representatives on a democratic basis within the framework of state legislation. We recognize the right to adequate compensation for all employees. Remuneration and other benefits are at a very minimum in line with the respective national and local legal standards or the standards of national economic sectors/industries and regions and are secured by collective bargaining agreements.

Outside activities
SCHAEFER KALK encourages cultural, sporting or social activities on the part of its employees. Outside activities beyond this level, however, must not conflict with the interests of company and require approval by the Human Resources department.

Company property
Responsible, careful handling of company property and other company assets is a matter of course for all employees. The misuse of company property, particularly for illegal purposes, is not permitted.

Conflicts of interest
Conflicts of interest on the part of employees must be avoided in order to prevent suppliers and service providers from being improperly favored. In the event that they are unavoidable, they must be disclosed to the supervisory manager. Conflicts of interest can arise, for example, when employees, close friends or family members are involved in the companies of service providers, suppliers or customers.

Internet use
SCHAEFER KALK permits employees to use the company`s Internet infrastructure for private purposes. This permission can be revoked at any time. The type and duration of Internet use for private purposes must not interfere with duties and obligations stipulated by labor law. The principles of the Code of Conduct apply to Internet use as well.

Human rights
The company respects and promotes compliance with internationally recognized human rights. In particular, it observes human rights in accordance with the UN Human Rights Charter (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, General Assembly Resolution 217 A (III) of 10 Dec 1948).

Non-discrimination principle
A ban on discrimination also applies in dealings with third parties. Third parties may not be discriminated against on the basis of race, nationality, age, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation, for example.

Customers
SCHAEFER KALK is a trustworthy, dependable partner to its customers. As a business partner, SCHAEFER KALK is committed to meeting the needs of its customers by providing suitable and efficient solutions in a friendly and fair manner.

Business partners
Business partners are chosen (e.g. suppliers, service providers, cooperation partners) on the basis of clear, transparent and objective criteria. These criteria are set out in our Supplier Code laid down. The Supplier Code is an integral part of all contracts between SCHAEFER KALK and its suppliers and their subcontractors. SCHAEFER KALK does not deal with business partners who are directly involved in unethical or illegal conduct such as money laundering, financing of terrorism or human rights violations. In doubtful cases, we forgo the business.

Donations
When conducting a compliance review of donations to or from business partners, an overall perspective must always be taken. Particularly important criteria in this regard are the timely proximity to current contract negotiations, the frequency of donations, the appropriateness of the donation, and the position of the recipient.

Public and media
Information disclosed to the public is objective, accurate in content, transparent, understandable and timely. Only authorized persons are permitted to disclose information to the public, media or to other third parties.

Politics
A dialog with representatives of local politics is indispensable for SCHAEFER KALK. Undue influence is explicitly not exerted in this context. In order to avoid even the appearance of such, SCHAEFER KALK remains party-politically neutral and does not make donations to political parties or organizations that have a close relationship with political parties. The company provides timely and transparent information about noticeable changes to neighboring communities and is always prepared to engage in a fair dialog.

Data and information security
As a matter of principle, business and personal data and information are treated confidentially. Systems that process data and information are protected against unauthorized access, for example. Compliance with legal and internal data protection and confidentiality regulations as well as data security requirements is therefore essential.

Environmental and climate protection
SCHAEFER KALK strives to sustainably balance the interests of people, the environment and the economy, to reduce any adverse impacts of its business activities as a whole and to contribute to a more sustainable world. Environmental and climate protection, along with resource efficiency, are therefore important corporate goals for SCHAEFER KALK. Both in the development of new products and services and in the operation of our production facilities, care is taken to ensure that any resulting impact on the environment and climate is minimized and that our products make a positive contribution to environmental and climate protection.

Sustainability
For SCHAEFER KALK, sustainable action not only has a time dimension, but also entails the assumption of economic, social and ecological responsibility. In this context, the 7 guidelines of the Bundesverband der Deutschen Kalkindustrie e.V. (Federal Association of the German Lime Industry), which lay out the guiding principles for sustainability in the German lime industry, are not only binding for SCHAEFER KALK, but are considered a matter of course. The guidelines are based on the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and the core labor standards of the International Labor Organization (ILO),

SCHAEFER KALK urges its employees to report suspected violations of the law or this Code of Conduct, or any ethically questionable or inappropriate practices whenever they are observed! This can be done via various reporting channels. A whistleblower system has been set up using Hintbox software, which is available to internal and external parties via the SK website. Reports can also be sent by e-mail to hinweisgeber@schaeferkalk.de or left on an answering machine (+49 6432 503-140). Further contact persons include your supervisor, the works council or the human resources department. Only transparent disclosure of a conflict can resolve it in compliance with the law and applicable company policies.