Code of Conduct

Our Code of Conduct for Commercial and Non-Commercial Goods

Founded in 1919 in Burladingen, Swabia, Trigema W. Grupp KG is a fourth-generation family-owned company and stands for state-of-the-art technology in production, high social and economic standards and the preservation of Germany as a production location. We believe in values, not just in the economic sense but also in a moral context. For us, economical success and ethical behaviour are inextricably linked. Sustainable economic value creation is only possible if moral and ethical values and principles are pursued at all levels. trigema produces exclusively in Germany. The trigema business family has always formed the basis of trigema. Our employees are often the third generation to work in our company. People of up to 25 different nationalities have been working at trigema since the early 1950s. These people are all motivated, well integrated and support the social systems in Germany with their labour. We need all our employees to be able to continue producing in Germany.

The basic requirements that Trigema W. Grupp KG places on itself and its suppliers are defined in this Code of Conduct. The clear principles and rules form the basis of the self-commitment of Trigema W. Grupp KG and all business partners to comply with the basic requirements. trigema also endeavours to exceed these minimum standards whenever possible.

1. Scope of application

This Code of Conduct forms the basis of all business relationships with regard to all production processes and facilities for trade and non-trade goods purchased from trigema. All business partners guarantee compliance with the principles set out in this Code of Conduct.

Textile materials purchased from suppliers comply with STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®.

2. Compliance with laws

All trigema business partners fully comply with all applicable statutory regulations and rules provisions, in particular labour and social welfare legislation and regulations for the environmental protection.

Labour contract agreements or comparable measures must not obviate the principles laid down in the Code of Conduct.

3. Corporate values

The key prerequisites for the success of trigema are its expertise, commitment and responsible behaviour of all its employees. The corporate philosophy emphasises responsibility towards people and nature as well as fairness and tolerance. This includes the following principles:

• Legally compliant and ethically impeccable behaviour. Compliance with and observance of legal and cultural framework conditions
• Dealing with employees and third parties is fair, polite and respectful
• The interests of customers and business partners are taken into account appropriately
• Social commitment
• Any form of discrimination based on gender, race, religion or other characteristics is refrained from
• Professionalism, fairness and reliability have top priority in all business relationships

4. Dealing with employees and business partners

All employees and workers must be treated with respect and dignity without exception. Any form of corporal punishment, psychological, sexual or verbal harassment and abuse, and any other form of intimidation are prohibited. Disciplinary measures must not violate national legislation and internationally recognised human rights. Employees who lodge a complaint due to violations of the provisions of this Code of Conduct or national laws, must not be subject to any form of disciplinary action.

Relationships with our business partners should be characterised by mutual reliability and sustainability. Our business partners expect us to act with honesty, courtesy, respect and fairness. This includes ensuring that decisions made and communicated in a transparent and comprehensible manner. In the same way, these principles are exemplified by the management towards the employees and adhered to by the employees themselves.

5. Prohibition of discrimination

We do not tolerate any form of discrimination. All employees and workers must be treated equally. No one may be discriminated against because of their race, skin colour, nationality, origin, gender, sexual identity, faith or ideology, political opinion, age, physical constitution or appearance. Every employee is obliged to respect the personal sphere of other employees. Sexual harassment and bullying are prohibited.

6. Working hours

The regulation of working hours is governed by the respective national labour legislation and the basic principles developed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). These include freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of forced and child labour and the prohibition of discrimination in employment and occupation.

7.Remuneration

All business partners shall ensure that workers and employees are paid at least the statutory or industry minimum wage level, whichever is the greater. Overtime must be remunerated according to the statutory requirements or at the rates that are customary within the industry. The wages paid should be sufficient to cover the basic living expenses of the employees. All employees must receive at least the statutory social benefits.

Illegal and unauthorised deductions from wages as a direct or indirect disciplinary measure are prohibited. In addition, employees and workers must be regularly informed of the full composition of their wages in a manner they understand. Payment of wages must be made in a way that is convenient for the employee (e.g. by cheque or bank transfer).

Living wages: trigema is committed to promoting responsible sourcing and purchasing practices that contribute to the long-term payment of living wages throughout our own operations and our supply chain. We expect our suppliers to actively address the issue of living wages and, taking into account their respective national and economic circumstances, to implement measures that progressively promote adequate and living wages for their employees. As part of our human rights due diligence, we support this process through constructive dialogue, transparent cooperation, and regular assessments of our supply chain.

8. Documentation of the conditions of employment

Employment must be based on a formal document such as an employment contract or recruitment letter. Business partners shall insure the written documentation of the labour conditions. This document must provide information on the terms and conditions of employment, including wages, duration and payment, pension benefits, holiday entitlement and notice period. Circumvention of applicable labour and social security standards is prohibited, as is circumvention of the Code of Conduct through fake training programmes, contract work or similar methods.

9. Occupational health and safety

Occupational safety is one of the main priorities of trigema. All business partners and employees of trigema undertake to strictly adhere to all safety regulations and to act at all times with safety in mind. This applies of course to all hazards that may occur at the workplace of an employee. The relevant supervisor must be notified without delay of all accidents, including near-misses, and any potentially dangerous situations.

The heads of the business divisions are responsible for the implementation and continuous monitoring of safety measures and organisational structures within their divisions. Senior staff are responsible for the safety of their subordinates and must instruct, train and supervise their staff as required. All senior staff must carry out risk assessments in order to identify and assess risks to their staff and other people. They must further organise adequate preventive medical care.

10. Environmental protection

trigema is committed to protecting our environment as a corporate goal and declares the resource-saving manufacture of all products to be a production factor to be taken into account. The following environmental protection principles apply:

• We protect our environment, use all natural resources sparingly and avoid or reduce the impact on people and nature
• We take into account the requirements of an intact environment in the development and design, manufacturing process, packaging and shipping of our products as well as in the improvement of processes and the introduction of new systems and products.
• We expect our business partners to comply with all laws and regulations for the protection of people and the environment.

Environmental protection training is an integral part of employee qualification programmes. When disposing of waste, the most environmentally friendly disposal method must be chosen that is justifiable from an economic point of view. In the event of incidents that could have a negative impact on the environment, the relevant departments of the company must be informed immediately and comprehensively and must turn in the legally required reports to the authorities.

11. Freedom of association

This Code of Conduct is freely accessible to all employees of the business partners (where applicable in the national language) freely accessible and clearly visible. Any person who who becomes aware of violations of this standard or active violations of the rights set out and rights set out and affirmed herein is requested to contact trigema directly and inform us about possible violations.

For this purpose, we have set up an anonymous and neutral complaints mechanism. All you have to do is fill out the form at www.trigema.de/complaint – and we will deal with your concern as quickly as possible.

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