As a signatory to the UN Global Compact, agineo GmbH (hereinafter referred to as “agineo”) is committed to upholding sustainable business practices, implementing the principles of the UN Global Compact, and taking measures to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We expect this from our suppliers as well.

The principles of the UN Global Compact include the areas of human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and fighting corruption. Companies should therefore:

• support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights and ensure that they are not complicit in human rights violations;
• advocate the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor, the effective abolition of child labor, and the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation;
• support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges, undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility, and encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies; and
• work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.

2.1 Applicable law as the minimum standard
Local, national, and international laws concerning business operations are to be fully complied with.

2.2 Human rights
Just like agineo, suppliers are also committed to upholding the human rights of its employees. Our suppliers as well, shall not discriminate against employees because of their nationality, religion, age, ethnic origin, gender, or sexual orientation. Child labor and forced labor are strictly forbidden.

2.3 Anti-corruption
A high level of integrity is integral to our company philosophy. As such, our suppliers undertake to:
• Refrain from bribery or engaging in other unfair practices to exercise influence over the public, civil servants, the judiciary, and representatives of other business partners.

• Not to provide agineo employees with benefits in any way, such as free products and services (e.g., hotel accommodation), in order to favorably influence business with agineo.
• Refrain from activities which can adversely affect free competition, including antitrust activities or price-fixing agreements.
• International laws on intellectual property rights are to be respected.

2.4 Antitrust law
Our suppliers fully comply with all applicable national and international rules of antitrust law, trade controls, and restrictions (e.g., embargoes or sanctions) and conducts fair competitive practices. They do not collude with competitors to violate antitrust law, nor do our suppliers abuse any dominant market position that may exist.

2.5 Export controls and economic sanctions
Our suppliers undertake to comply with export control provisions and economic sanctions applicable to their business and, if necessary, to provide customs and other authorities with accurate and truthful information about such matters.
Our suppliers continuously comply with the Federal Republic of Germany’s applicable export control and customs laws related to the production, international import and sale as well as the related import and export of goods and services.

2.6 Money laundering
Our suppliers do not participate in money-laundering activities of any kind, and they ensure that their financial transactions are not used for money-laundering purposes.

2.7 Data protection
When collecting, processing, and archiving data and information from our suppliers, in the course of cooperating with agineo, the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) must be observed and complied with, and the protection of personal and confidential data must always be ensured by the supplier.

2.8 Plagiarism and intellectual property
Our suppliers undertake to implement all necessary and appropriate measures within their remit to prevent criminals or other unauthorized parties from gaining access to customer products, their machinable parts, or corresponding knowledge and to prevent them from exiting the legitimate supply chain.
Our suppliers undertake to only make appropriate use of confidential information and to protect it accordingly. Our suppliers shall ensure that sensitive data and the valid intellectual property rights of their employees and business partners are protected.

2.9 Disclosure of information, transparency
Where necessary, our suppliers are obliged to disclose relevant business information in accordance with applicable regulations and prevailing industry practices.

3.1 Freedom of association
agineo respects our employees’ right to freely associate in accordance with prevailing laws and regulations.

3.2 Occupational health and safety
Our suppliers’ top priority is the occupational health and safety of employees, which must be ensured at all times. Legal requirements for occupational health and safety must be observed by our suppliers, and work is to be organized in line with principles of prevention. Occupational health and safety is an integral part of all operational processes. Every employee of the supplier must promote occupational health and safety in their workplace and comply with regulations on occupational health and safety. Every manager of the supplier is obliged to instruct and support their employees in the exercise of this responsibility. The provisions of the German Working Hours Act must be respected, and the maximum working hours as well as rest and break times must be observed by the supplier.

3.3 Fair wages, child labor, and forced labor
agineo respects internationally recognized human rights standards and supports their observance. Forced labor, slavery, human trafficking, and child labor of any kind are strictly rejected. agineo believes that only performance-based pay can permanently ensure industrial peace and the efficiency of the company. All contracting parties should be appropriately represented in the remuneration system.
Local legal minimum standards are to be observed by our suppliers in this respect.

3.4 Women’s rights, equal opportunities, diversity, and inclusion
Our suppliers refrain from all forms of discrimination, exclusion, or preference based on ethnicity, skin color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political opinion, nationality, affiliation with a minority group, and social origin resulting in the restriction of equal opportunities or equal treatment in employment or profession.
Furthermore, the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for the same work should be applied. The workplace must be free from harassment. A social environment where respect for everybody is ensured and equal opportunities exist for all employees is to be encouraged.

3.5 Rights of minorities and indigenous peoples
Our suppliers protect the rights of minorities in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements. The rights of indigenous peoples are particularly vulnerable. They must be protected against displacement or negative influence. Great emphasis is placed on compliance with national and international legal and regulatory requirements.

3.6 Discrimination and harassment
Mutual respect and regard for the human dignity, for the privacy and personal rights of every individual, and a culture of respectful and responsible collective conduct are vitally important for agineo.
Equal opportunities are mandatory, and all forms of discrimination must be prevented in all decisions, regardless of gender, skin color, culture, ethnic origin, religious affiliation, ideology, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability. Our suppliers must comply with and implement these principles in the same way.

3.7 Safe whistleblowing option
Our suppliers must report any suspected violation of regulations, laws, and the agineo supplier Code of Conduct. HR is to be notified in the event of violations.
An anonymous whistleblower system is also available: https://app.whistle-report.com/report/34f9347a-cfc1-4105-b720-4f16a792650c
Our business partners provide their employees the opportunity to report to agineo any criminal offenses or violations of the supplier Code of Conduct that were committed in the course of their work during the business relationship and that may have an impact on agineo.
Our business partners will not tolerate persons who report violations of the principles listed in this supplier Code of Conduct being disadvantaged in any way.

4.1 Environmental protection
Environmental pollution and damage are to be avoided in all phases of production and the provision of services.
We expect our suppliers to observe all applicable environmental protection laws and regulations when carrying out their work.
An important part of management and operations is to ensure efficiency is improved on a continual basis by using resources in a conscious and careful manner. All kinds of waste and emissions to air, water, and soil shall be minimized, identified, and monitored.
The safe handling, transport, storage, reuse, and disposal of substances (substances, preparations, and products) classified as hazardous must be ensured if they are released into the environment.

4.1.1 Energy consumption/efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions/decarbonization
Our suppliers must aspire to use energy sources efficiently as well as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The long-term goal of our suppliers is to achieve carbon neutrality (decarbonization) and pass this requirement on to sub-suppliers.

4.1.2 Reuse and recycling
Our suppliers are committed to upholding all relevant legal and regulatory requirements related to Germany’s Circular Economy Act. Only certified waste disposal service providers are used to dispose of waste generated in connection with business activities, and the recycling of materials is ensured.

4.1.3 Biodiversity, land use, and deforestation
Within the course of business, our suppliers undertake to comply with all relevant legal and regulatory provisions regarding biodiversity, land use, and deforestation and to check/implement them accordingly in their supply chain.

4.1.4 Land, forest, water rights, and forced eviction
Our suppliers do not engage in any unlawful forced eviction or unlawful deprivation of land, forests, and waters in the acquisition, construction, or other use of land, forests, and waters. All national and international legal and regulatory requirements must be observed.
If private or public security forces are hired to protect operations, affected parties must be protected against excessive violence and their right to freedom of association and freedom of organization ensured. Security services are to observe internationally recognized human rights.

4.1.5 Biodiversity and soil quality
Our suppliers undertake to assess the impacts of their business activities on biodiversity and soil quality and, where possible, to preserve and promote existing biodiversity and soil quality through appropriate land use and avoidance of deforestation.

4.2 Accessibility
Suppliers are required to provide deliveries and services that are as barrier-free as possible and can also be used by people with disabilities. If accessibility standards apply to the supplies and services provided, suppliers are advised to also take these standards into account and meet them. These include, for example, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA (WCAG, guidelines for accessible web content), contained in Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act and in the harmonized EN 301 549, including WCAG 2.1 Level AA and the German Barrier-Free Information Technology Ordinance (BITV).

4.3 Initiatives for the common good
We promote the common good at all our sites and beyond. Of our suppliers, we expect to do their part for the common good, within the scope of their abilities.

5.1 Protection of information
Our suppliers always handle agineo information in a confidential manner. Our suppliers respect and safeguard the privacy of each individual and the confidentiality of nonpublic information, even after a business relationship with agineo. The protection of the personal data of our employees, partners, customers, and suppliers, as well as the observation of national and international laws, is a matter of course for us.

5.2 Avoidance of conflicts of interest
We expect our suppliers to make business decisions solely in the best interest of the company and to avoid conflicts of interest with personal matters or other business or non-business activities, including those of relatives or other related parties or organizations. We expect our suppliers to only make gifts, invitations, donations, or sponsorships within the extent permissible by law.

5.3 Fair market practices
Our suppliers and business partners must comply with local antitrust and competition laws. They are mindful of fair competition and avoid engaging in anticompetitive arrangements with competitors and suppliers.

5.4 Financial responsibility
Our suppliers undertake to establish appropriate business continuity plans for the operational activities that support our customers’ business.

Our suppliers are required to implement a due diligence process and ensure that their suppliers and sub-suppliers comply with the standards required in this document. The due diligence process must include at least the following aspects:

• A grievance mechanism, to document incidents and the remedial action taken.
• Risk management, including regular analysis to identify potential risks in the supply chain, especially among direct Tier 1 suppliers.
• Anchoring preventive measures in their own business area to avoid social and ecological grievances.
• Appointing of a person within the company, responsible for monitoring and controlling sustainability requirements.

We reserve the right to check our suppliers for compliance with the requirements of this supplier Code of Conduct.

agineo values partnership-based collaboration with its business partners. In the event of minor violations of this supplier Code of Conduct, the business partner is generally given the opportunity to implement suitable remedial measures within a reasonable period if the business partner is fundamentally prepared to remedy and improve the situation.

However, in the event of serious violations, agineo reserves the right to take appropriate measures against the respective business partner.