Business Ethik & Supply Chain
Compliance with internationally applicable rules and fair dealings with all stakeholders are among Rosenbauer’s most important principles. In addition to the statutory provisions, internal regulations as well as voluntary commitments and ethical principles are components of corporate policy.
Rosenbauer’s Code of Conduct applies to all employees throughout the Group and to all sales partners worldwide.
Rosenbauer delivers the majority of its products to public institutions and authorities. This results in increased responsibility that is characterized by efforts to avoid corruption and bribery. The applicable laws and guidelines, as well as self-imposed standards, form the statutory framework here. These apply equally to in-house employees and external sales partners who are in contact with officials and state or local authority representatives.
Moreover, Rosenbauer is convinced that economic success can endure only if it is achieved in compliance with all the applicable laws, regulations and rules of fair competition. At the same time, it is committed to more than just statutory provisions. Internal regulations, voluntary obligations and ethical standards are of equal significance.
Rosenbauer Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct governs the internal ethical guidelines for doing business. Its cornerstones are compliance with the law, fair competition, and the rejection of corruption and bribery. All rules governing international trade and the capital market must always be complied with and conflicts of interest avoided. Furthermore, Rosenbauer’s intellectual property, material assets and employees’ and customers’ personal data must be protected at all times, and people and the environment protected from danger. The Code of Conduct is applicable to all of the Group’s employees and sales partners worldwide.
COMPLIANCE
To ensure lawful and ethically sound conduct, Rosenbauer established a compliance organization in the company, which supports management in fulfilling this responsibility and is subject to continuous improvements. The compliance organization includes a reporting system for suspected compliance infringements. A central component is the company’s own Code of Conduct, which is not only binding for all employees of the Group – but also for suppliers and sales partners.
Compliance Organization
It goes without saying that Rosenbauer complies with all legal provisions to combat corruption and with anti-trust and competition law. Illegal conduct and behavior that could negatively impact on the company’s reputation are not tolerated. The Group Compliance Officer reports directly to the Executive Board and provides the Supervisory Board with information on compliance activities and any relevant incidents.
To enable any misconduct to be flagged and pursued, the company introduced its own whistle-blower system (compliance@rosenbauer. com) in 2014. It can be used by employees and outsiders to the company alike – anonymously, if they wish. Currently, a new whistle-blower system is being implemented in accordance with future European Union standards. There are disciplinary consequences in place, depending on the severity of proven infringements; these range from a warning to immediate dismissal. In 2020, no compliance violation reports were submitted to Group Compliance. Three potential new sales partners were excluded from doing business with Rosenbauer based on compliance-relevant information in 2020.
Compliance Training for Employees
All employees and sales partners are handed the Code of Conduct when they start working with us. They have to sign it. Employees in positions relevant to compliance receive regular training as needed. These courses are also available throughout the Group on the company’s intranet. This ensures that the information is available to all employees for reference purposes at all times, not just during courses. In spring 2020, an online anti-corruption and anti-trust course was established which is available throughout the Group and can also be made available to sales partners. Course participants can successfully complete the training by passing a test, after which they receive a certificate. Since the start of online learning, nearly 400 employees (particularly executives) have completed both training courses.
Rosenbauer employees who attended a compliance training in 2020
Combating Bribery and Corruption
The main task and feature of Rosenbauer’s compliance organization is the continuous effort to ensure the correct and lawful action of all parties involved. With the goal of preventing corruption in the first place, the focus is on identifying risks early on and taking suitable action to eliminate them.
All sales partners are subject to a specific risk-oriented integrity review to identify potential corruption risks. This is done web-based using an online tool specializing in integrity checking. Potential new partners are subject to reviews before the start of collaboration, while existing partners are checked at regular intervals. In addition, the compliance organization carries out a case-specific plausibility checks of individual sales projects. Along with Internal Audit, on-site check or audits are conducted at sales partners with heightened risk. A total of 137 business partners were assessed in our integrity reviews in 2020; a total of three business partners were rejected as a result. There were no known cases of corruption in 2020.
Respect for Human Rights
As an international company operating in countries with very different human rights situations, respect for human rights is a matter of particular importance to Rosenbauer. Treating employees and all partners with fairness and appreciation is a core element of our corporate culture. Rosenbauer is committed to not discriminating against anyone due to ethnic origin, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or any other traits. The principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms are respected and regarded as fundamental values.
SUSTAINABILITY IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN
As a global enterprise, Rosenbauer leverages the opportunities afforded by global procurement while also meeting its social responsibilities. This includes complying with the applicable laws and respecting fundamental ethical values everywhere and at all times in addition to acting sustainably. In line with this strategy, Rosenbauer also expects responsible conduct from its suppliers and partners, and their employees. Close cooperation with all suppliers and partners is a critical factor for Rosenbauer’s success. They are selected according to strict criteria and regularly assessed. In general, business relationships with key suppliers to the major production facilities are longstanding. With production on three continents, Rosenbauer generates regional added value around the world. The goal of working with local suppliers and partners is to safeguard jobs in the regions concerned and to promote local economic development through wages, investment, purchases and taxes. Where core products for equipment – such as protective clothing and shoes – are concerned, Rosenbauer consciously works with manufacturers in Europe in order to better monitor quality and working conditions at the production facilities. All helmet production takes place in Austria.
The programs for promoting a sustainable supply chain at Rosenbauer include the following:
- inspections of the production facilities manufacturing the core products for equipment,
- regular evaluations and supplier visits, and
- close cooperation and exchange of information among suppliers and among purchasing departments throughout the Group.
Suppliers’ Environmental Management
Rosenbauer also includes its suppliers in its environmental management. In this regard, the focus is on reducing packaging material and waste, for example with reusable transport racks instead of disposable cardboard boxes.
Many of the environmental impacts of Rosenbauer’s business activities stem from the upstream supply chain processes, such as the mining of raw materials and their processing in the metal and plastics industries. Consequently, Rosenbauer examined all its key suppliers for how they ensure environmental protection and embed this in their organizations. On the one hand, this insight into its suppliers’ manufacturing facilities provides Rosenbauer with an understanding of environmental impact in its supply chain and, on the other hand, initiates an awareness-raising process on this very topic.
Supplier Screening
Rosenbauer has maintained close business relationships with some of its suppliers for decades. Key suppliers, i.e. those with a purchasing volume over €100,000 in 2020, are screened annually against environmental and social criteria to ensure that certain minimum standards are maintained.
Rosenbauer aims to give sustainability even more weight when selecting new and managing existing suppliers. The company plans to automatically include sustainability-specific questions when adding new suppliers to the database system.