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Version I, trade show stand 01 January 2024
The complaints procedure of igus® GmbH enables all potentially affected persons to draw attention to human rights or environmental risks and breaches of duty that have arisen as a result of the economic activities of igus® GmbH in its own business area or in the business area of a supplier along the entire supply chain.
igus® takes the requirements of the LkSG seriously and our aim is to identify potential misconduct along the supply chain at an early stage and initiate the appropriate measures.
igus® achieves this in particular by ensuring that information about possible violations in connection with the LkSG can be reported to us and that these are consistently followed up.
All employees and persons along our supply chain can use the complaints procedure set up by igus® to inform igus® of human rights or environmental risks or violations.
It is ensured that the report can be submitted anonymously and confidentially. This enables igus® to recognise risks at an early stage and, in the best case scenario, to resolve them before people or the environment are harmed.
Various internal channels are available for reporting compliance violations (e.g. reporting to superiors or employee representatives) and the igus whistleblower system® is available for both internal and external reports. This can be used without restriction by anyone along our supply chain.
Compliance violations can be reported worldwide, around the clock, in various languages and free of charge with just a few "clicks" via our online whistleblower system (reporting-channel.com).
When submitting a report, the focus of the report should be on the human rights and environmental risks or breaches of duty as defined by the German Corporate Governance Code. § Section 2 (2) and (3) LkSG.
The human rights-related prohibitions include in particular
Environmental prohibitions include in particular
As part of an initial assessment, HR determines whether the report is relevant to human rights or environmental risks or breaches of duty and whether the report submitted is correct. This is followed by a risk assessment of possible consequences, for example using a risk matrix.
The person making the report receives prompt feedback that the report has been recorded. Furthermore, interim status reports on each processing step and the final result are sent to whistleblowers via the portal in a protected environment.
If relevance and initial suspicion are confirmed, we will initiate an internal investigation procedure as quickly as possible in order to clarify the facts. The report will be examined in detail.
After completion of the investigation, igus® checks whether measures are required to eliminate, minimise or prevent the violation in the future. To this end, we analyse the specific need for correction and improvement. Part of this analysis also includes taking into account the expectations of the group of people affected by the violation. Necessary measures may be purely internal measures in our business division, such as process adjustments, new guidelines or improved training concepts. However, measures with and towards third parties may also be necessary. The implementation of the measures is monitored appropriately and their effectiveness is closely scrutinised in detail in small process steps.
All reports, investigation activities and investigation results are documented and archived in defined locations. They are stored in accordance with the relevant legal requirements and data protection periods. The rights to view and access these documents are strictly regulated. In addition, where required by law, we inform all affected parties about the investigations carried out and the personal data processed in this context.
The findings from the processing of reports are taken into account in the risk analysis. An annual report is prepared and published on the number and handling of reports. In addition, ad hoc reports are submitted to the management.
We review the effectiveness of all the systems and processes described above in connection with our complaints procedure on an ad hoc basis, but at least once a year.
Information on possible human rights or environmental risks or violations is of great value to igus® and our supply chain.
For this reason, anonymous dialogue is possible throughout the entire complaints procedure. The confidentiality of the anonymous exchange is ensured at all times. There is no logging of the IP address. The following procedures have been introduced for the technical protection of the whistleblower:
By submitting a report via the igus® complaints procedure, the person making the report does not face any negative consequences. The confidentiality of the exchange is ensured at all times (see point 3 and is also guaranteed internally by suitable measures.
If you have any comments or suggestions regarding our complaints procedure, please contact our HR department on 02203/9639 - 151.