Compliance

Compliance at Geberit

Compliance at Geberit does not just mean adhering to applicable laws and regulations, but also includes guidelines for social, economic and environmental responsibility. High ethical and social standards are defined and Geberit commits to sustainability and integrity. Compliance within the company is based on the Code of Conduct for Employees introduced in 2007 and last revised in 2018, and the Code of Conduct for Suppliers.

Topics

The main compliance activities for Geberit encompass the areas: antitrust legislation, corruption, data protection, product liability, environment and occupational health and safety, as well as fundamental employee rights and supplier compliance. Clear reporting processes, such as Code of Conduct reporting, as well as internal and external audits are implemented to check the corresponding regulations are being adhered to.

Corporate compliance organisation

A decentralised compliance organisation and a consistently implemented compliance programme in all relevant risk areas form the basis of high-quality compliance standards at Geberit (see above graphic). The aim of the decentralised organisation is to entrench the various compliance topics as close as possible to the responsible departments and thus in day-to-day business. The responsibilities are clearly defined. Structured controlling and reporting processes within the individual departments ensure that the Group Executive Board and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors are informed promptly and comprehensively. Furthermore, the Geberit Integrity Line makes it possible for employees and suppliers to anonymously report non-compliance both with the Code of Conduct and with legal regulations. The Geberit Integrity Line meets the requirements set by the EU Whistleblower Directive.

The Geberit Group’s legal department is responsible for the topics of antitrust legislation, data protection and corruption. Product liability is the responsibility of Product Quality Management. Corporate Sustainability & Process Management is responsible for the subjects of the environment, occupational health and safety, while Corporate Human Resources is responsible for fundamental employee rights.

Focus on antitrust legislation and data protection

Regular training sessions and internal audits demonstrate a well-developed sensitivity among the employees in relation to compliance topics, particularly in the area of antitrust legislation and data protection.

As in previous years, compliance activities again focused on antitrust legislation and data protection in 2022. The training concepts and tools were developed and professionalised further in both areas. Geberit has effective instruments at its disposal for the comprehensive and straightforward training of affected employees across the Group on the topics of antitrust legislation and data protection, and can inform them of the applicable legal regulations and the directives within the Group. In the reporting year, the antitrust legislation eLearning course was adapted and rolled out in the USA, China, South Africa, South East Asia, Australia and India. Otherwise, the focus of the training courses was on first-line sales managers, of whom around 100 managers from seven European sales companies underwent in-depth training. For 2023, further training courses are planned for sales managers from the EU sales companies.

Around 4,000 employees took part in eLearning modules on data protection in 2022. Furthermore, there are ongoing situation-related training sessions on this subject for the data protection coordinators as well as the employees from various departments. Around 80 people took part in these special training sessions during the reporting year.