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, updated in 2015 and currently in revision, and the Code of Conduct for Suppliers from 2016, which is also currently in revision.

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 (see graphic) and a consistently implemented compliance programme in all relevant risk areas form the basis of the high-quality compliance standards at Geberit. 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. In addition to the existing Group-wide reporting point, national reporting channels have also been set up in several European countries (PT, SE, SI, IT, NL, BE) for implementing the national laws adopted based on the EU Whistleblower Directive. The Geberit Integrity Line thus meets both the requirements set by the EU Whistleblower Directive and national laws.

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 and Corporate Purchasing are responsible for the subjects of the environment, occupational health and safety. Corporate Sustainability & Process Management has also included the national legislations on duty of care in the supply chain (“Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichten”) adopted in 2023 in Geberit’s sustainability strategy. 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 2023. While the focus in antitrust legislation was on optimising the training concepts, data protection management and the corresponding processes and contracts were continuously developed in the area of data protection. The development of a new training concept is planned for 2024. As a result, Geberit has effective and up-to-date 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.

Following on from the training courses already carried out last year, further general training courses for the in-depth teaching of knowledge relating to antitrust legislation were held in the reporting year. Additionally, event- and topic-specific training courses were also held at the individual sales companies. The existing basic eLearning course was revised and modified according to the current legal situation. Furthermore, a new eLearning course was introduced for the in-depth teaching of knowledge relating to antitrust legislation using specific case studies.

In data protection, the applicable data protection management system was completed. As in previous years, eLearning courses were also held and individual, event-specific training courses carried out for various departments and companies.