Compliance
Compliance is an integral part of all business processes within the Raiffeisen Waren Group and essentially means acting in accordance with rules and regulations. This includes compliance with laws, internal guidelines, and voluntary commitments. To ensure that our employees are familiar with and apply these requirements, we provide regular training on topics such as data protection, antitrust and competition law, anti-corruption, and the lawful handling of benefits and gratuities. Since 2023, this training program has been expanded to include content related to the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (“Supply Chain Due Diligence Act”).
Our legal department additionally supports employees in all legal matters and, among other things, handles violations of applicable compliance guidelines.
Code of Conduct
We have set out our values and principles in a Code of Conduct. It is important to us to take responsibility for people, animals, and nature and to treat others with fairness and tolerance. These principles apply to all employees as well as to our business partners.
The Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and its requirements
The aim of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act is to protect fundamental human rights within a company’s own business operations and along the supply chain. This includes preventing, ending, or minimizing human rights risks as well as protecting the environment insofar as environmental concerns can lead to human rights violations or serve to protect human health.
Since January 1, 2023, the Raiffeisen Waren Group has been subject to the scope of application of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act.
To fulfill the legally required due diligence obligations within their own business operations and with direct suppliers, affected companies must implement the following measures:
- Publication of a policy statement
- Establishment of a risk management system
- Implementation of preventive and remedial measures
- Introduction of a complaints procedure
- Documentation and reporting
Policy statement
In our human rights policy statement, we commit ourselves to respecting human rights. It also sets out guidelines and measures to ensure that these rights are upheld across all business activities. You can download the human rights policy statement at the end of this page in the download section.
Risk management
As a trading company operating in the divisions Agrar, Technology, Building Materials and Energy, we distribute a wide range of products and services. On an annual basis or as required, we conduct a risk analysis to identify human rights and environmental risks or violations within our own business operations as well as along our supply chains. The implementation of the risk analysis is overseen by our Human Rights Officer.
Preventive measures
In our own business operations, all employees receive regular training on compliance-related topics. Employees working in departments that are particularly relevant to the implementation of our due diligence obligations will receive additional training in the future. This includes, among others, employees in the areas of procurement, occupational safety, environmental management, and human resources.
In our cooperation with suppliers, we place great importance on shared responsibility for respecting human rights throughout our supply chains. For this reason, we have set out our requirements for suppliers in a Supplier Code of Conduct. You can download our Supplier Code of Conduct at the end of this page in the download section.
In addition, we follow a risk-based approach and survey selected suppliers on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) topics. The insights gained from this enable us to derive targeted preventive measures.
Remedial measures
Remedial measures are defined on an individual basis depending on the actual risks identified. Any breaches of duty detected within our own business operations are discussed with the responsible parties and remedied. If we identify a violation of human rights– or environmental-related obligations by one of our business partners, we will agree on an action plan with them. The aim of an action plan is to implement measures to prevent, end, or minimize identified violations.
Complaints procedure
If you click HERE, you will be taken to our complaints procedure, including the corresponding rules of procedure. Reports and complaints can be submitted to us either anonymously or with contact details via various reporting channels (by telephone, post, and online). Further details can be found in the rules of procedure.
Documentation and reporting
The fulfillment of our due diligence obligations is continuously documented internally. We report on key topics in our sustainability report.
Contact person
Markus Jeltsch
Head of Legal / Insurance Department
Telephone: +49 (0) 561 / 7122-356
E-Mail: markus.jeltsch@rw.net
Katharina Brill
Sustainability Management
Telephone: +49 (0) 561 / 7122-424
E-Mail: katharina.brill@rw.net