Sustainability determines our daily actions in all areas. For us, sustainability means taking responsibility for all those involved in the supply chain and being a reliable partner for our employees, customers and suppliers – holistically in the ecological, economic and social aspects. Our transparent communication, long-term partnerships and high-quality, durable products are the foundation of this commitment. We understand sustainability as a holistic concept and therefore attach great importance to the use of high-quality materials and short transport routes. Conscious of our corporate responsibility, we are committed to social engagement and fair, socially acceptable working conditions at all our sites. In addition, we support our employees with family-friendly working time models, be it part-time arrangements or flexible working hours, so that they can plan individually according to their needs.

We select our production sites in accordance with our guidelines, with fair pay and long-term business relationships being particularly important to us. Our employees visit these production sites on site at regular intervals. Our striving for further developed sustainability is also reflected in our efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions through short transport routes. In the production of our shoes, we use only high-quality leather grades and materials, taking care to leave them as natural as possible. We source most of our materials from Germany, Italy and Spain. The handcrafting is done at our location in Rhineland-Palatinate as well as at carefully selected production sites. In addition, we are fully aware of our environmental responsibility and want to help protect the environment and promote a sustainable future. Our responsibility extends to the safety and well-being of our employees, customers and the environment. We believe in a work culture based on respect, trust and collaboration. To ensure that we remain true to these values, we have developed principles for our daily actions:

• Environmental responsibility: We are committed to protecting the environment and are committed to carrying out our production in an environmentally friendly manner, using sustainable methods and continuously improving our environmental management system.
• Quality and customer focus: We are committed to improving customer satisfaction, identifying risks and opportunities that may affect our products and services and continuously improving our quality management system.
• Compliance with laws and regulations: We comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to working conditions, environmental standards and business ethics
• Health and safety: We recognize the importance of health and safety in the workplace and ensure that our employees can work in a safe and healthy environment.
• Non-discriminatory environment: We respect the diversity and value of every employee and are committed to creating and maintaining a non-discriminatory work environment.
• Freedom of working conditions: We are committed to protecting and expanding the freedom of working conditions of our employees.
• Anti-corruption: We reject bribery, corruption and all types of unethical behavior.
• Confidentiality: We protect the confidentiality of all confidential information and data of our employees and customers.
• Collaboration and teamwork: We encourage collaboration and teamwork to create a harmonious working environment and achieve our goals together.
• Feedback and improvement: We encourage and value feedback from employees, customers and other stakeholders and use this feedback to continuously improve.

CODE OF CONDUCT

We expect every employee and business partner to adhere to this Code of Conduct and to respect the values and obligations of the company. We will actively work to ensure that our principles and values are implemented in all our activities and decisions

Environmental responsibility

We are committed to protecting the environment and are committed to conducting our production in an environmentally friendly manner.

• We promote sustainable methods and are committed to using materials from sustainable production, such as recycled plastics and leather from certified production. By using sustainable materials, we aim to minimize our environmental impact. To this end, we involve our suppliers in our environmental management system.
• We inform our suppliers about our environmental policy and environmentally friendly measures and are committed to ensuring that products and materials are manufactured in a resource-conserving and sustainable manner.
• We aim to reduce our energy consumption by using renewable energy sources such as solar energy and wind power. We want to reduce our energy requirements through efficiency measures and the use of energy-saving technologies.
• We strive to minimize waste through the use of recyclable materials, waste separation and waste reduction in production. We promote a circular economy and aim to reuse products and materials.
• We are committed to using environmentally friendly chemicals in production to reduce harmful emissions. We are committed to complying with environmental regulations and standards and to continuously improving our environmental performance.
• We regularly review our environmental policy and targets and raise awareness of environmental issues and environmentally friendly practices among our employees.

Quality and customer focus

We recognize that our customers are critical to the success of our business and we will always strive to understand and meet their needs. Our quality policy is a central part of our business strategy and we will do everything we can to ensure that we implement it in all aspects of our business. Our aim is to produce high-quality shoes that meet the needs and wishes of our customers. We strive to maximize customer satisfaction and identify areas for improvement by listening to our customers’ feedback and understanding their needs. We are committed to achieving this goal:

• To set high quality standards and implement a quality management system to ensure that our products meet the requirements and expectations of our customers.
• Maintain open and transparent communication with our customers and ensure that they are always informed about the status of their orders.
• To provide excellent advice and support to our customers by taking their needs and concerns seriously and assisting them in the selection and purchase of our products.
• Continuously train our employees to ensure that they have the necessary expertise and skills to meet our customers’ requirements and needs.
• Ensure fast and reliable delivery to ensure that our customers receive their products on time.
• Measure and monitor customer satisfaction on a regular basis to ensure that we improve and provide our customers with an optimal experience.

Occupational health and safety

As an employer, we are aware of our responsibility towards our employees and are committed to providing our employees with a safe and healthy working environment.

• We are committed to ensuring that our employees work in a safe working environment. We identify and eliminate potential sources of danger and implement preventive measures to avoid accidents and injuries.
• We train our employees in occupational health and safety and raise their awareness of hazards and risks in the working environment. We encourage our employees to take responsibility for their own health and safety in the workplace.
• We are committed to ensuring that our employees maintain a healthy lifestyle and offer them health promotion programs and preventive medical check-ups.
• We are committed to complying with all applicable laws and standards on occupational health and safety and to keeping up to date with changes and adjustments.
• We take our responsibility to protect our employees seriously and promote transparent communication with regard to occupational health and safety.
• We encourage our employees to make suggestions for improving working conditions and health and safety and take them seriously.

Compliance with laws and regulations

We are aware of our responsibility to society and to comply with applicable laws and regulations. We are committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations and to promoting, regularly reviewing and improving a culture of compliance and integrity within our company.

• We are committed to ensuring that all employees of our company understand the applicable laws and regulations that are relevant to our business. We ensure that our employees receive regular training and are kept up to date.
• We are committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations and act in accordance with the highest ethical standards.
• We have implemented internal compliance policies and processes to ensure that all employees and managers of our company comply with laws and regulations.
• We identify potential compliance risks and implement preventive measures to minimize or eliminate these risks.
• We promote open and transparent communication with regard to compliance with laws and regulations and report regularly on our compliance activities.
• We ensure that our employees are accountable for their actions and decisions and must bear the consequences for violations of laws and regulations.

Non-discriminatory environment

We are aware of our responsibility to promote diversity and create an inclusive working environment. We are committed to creating and promoting a non-discriminatory environment for all employees.

• We encourage all employees to demonstrate respectful behavior towards all colleagues, regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or other individual characteristics.
• Openness to diversity: We are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in our organization and value the different backgrounds, perspectives and skills of our employees.
• No tolerance for discrimination: We do not tolerate any form of discrimination, including discrimination based on gender, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or other individual characteristics. We take every incident of discrimination seriously and treat it accordingly.
• Fair and transparent decisions: We make decisions on the basis of objective criteria, regardless of the individual characteristics of our employees. We ensure that our decision-making processes are fair and transparent.
• Open communication: We promote open communication and encourage our employees to report situations of discrimination. We ensure that these reports are treated confidentially.

Fight against corruption

We have established clear standards and guidelines that prohibit corruption in any form. These standards are based on international best practices and the national legal framework. With these measures, we help to prevent corruption within the company or to identify it at an early stage and to strengthen the trust of our customers and business partners.

• All employees of the company are regularly informed and sensitized in order to engage against corruption and know how to recognize and report corrupt practices.
• We carry out a regular risk assessment to identify potential corruption-prone situations. This focuses in particular on the awarding of contracts, interaction with authorities and adherence to compliance rules.
• Our Code of Conduct contains clear rules and guidelines and ensures that all employees act ethically and with integrity and that no corrupt practices are used.
• Regular audits, reviews and checks are carried out to monitor compliance with internal standards and guidelines.
• Whistleblower protection: We ensure that all employees who report possible corruption are protected. To this end, we have established a whistleblower protection system that ensures that all reports are treated confidentially and investigated immediately.

Confidentiality and data protection

The protection of business secrets as well as the confidentiality and privacy of our customers, employees and partners is of particular concern to us. We are committed to ensuring that all personal data that we collect and process is handled in accordance with the applicable data protection laws and regulations. We therefore ensure that all personal data is adequately protected and that the confidentiality and privacy of our customers, employees and partners is respected.

• We only collect and process personal data that is necessary for the performance of our business activities and is only used for legitimate business purposes. We ensure that all personal data is processed in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
• We take appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data from unauthorized access, loss, misuse or disclosure. We ensure that our employees are trained and sensitized to ensure data security.
• We only pass on personal data if this is necessary for the fulfillment of our business activities or is required by law. We ensure that all disclosures are made in accordance with applicable data protection laws and that appropriate contracts and agreements are in place to ensure data security.
• We respect the rights of data subjects, such as the right of access, rectification, erasure and restriction of processing. We ensure that all requests from data subjects are processed promptly and in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
• We have appointed an independent data protection officer who monitors compliance with data protection requirements and works towards their implementation. Our customers and employees can contact the Data Protection Officer at any time to clarify any questions or concerns regarding data protection.
• We only store personal data for as long as is necessary for the fulfillment of our business activities or as required by law. We ensure that all personal data is properly deleted or destroyed at the end of the retention period.

Collaboration and teamwork

Our policy is to foster a culture of collaboration, respect and open communication within our company. We believe that successful collaboration and teamwork help us to achieve our goals more effectively and increase the commitment and satisfaction of our employees.

• We promote open communication and a culture of dialog in our company. We encourage our employees to share their thoughts and ideas and provide feedback to improve collaboration and teamwork.
• We treat all employees with respect and appreciation. We value the different perspectives and skills that each employee brings and use them to achieve our goals.
• We encourage collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and skills between departments and teams. We believe that collaboration creates synergies and enables us to achieve our business goals more effectively.
• We empower our employees by providing them with the resources and information they need to do their jobs effectively. We also support the personal and professional development of our employees through training, development and mentoring.
• We encourage the quick and effective resolution of conflicts. We ensure that all employees have the necessary resources and support to resolve conflicts in a fair and respectful manner.
• We recognize and encourage employees who contribute to achieving our goals through collaboration and teamwork. We believe that recognizing the achievements of our employees can help increase team engagement and satisfaction.

Employee engagement, feedback and improvement

Our policy aims to create a working environment that encourages our employees to give their best and actively participate in the continuous improvement of our company. We believe that employee engagement is an important factor in our success and that regular feedback and open communication can help drive improvements in all areas of our business and increase employee satisfaction.

• We are committed to creating a work environment that encourages our employees to identify with our company and its mission. We offer attractive compensation, benefits and training opportunities to ensure that our employees remain motivated and engaged.
• We promote a culture of feedback in our company to ensure that our employees always know how they can improve their performance. We encourage our managers to have regular feedback conversations with their employees and vice versa, so that our employees can also provide feedback.
• We create a working environment in which our employees can communicate openly and share their thoughts and ideas. We encourage our employees to actively participate in discussions and decision-making processes and promote open and transparent communication.
• We continuously strive for improvement in all areas of our company and promote a culture of innovation and creativity. We encourage our employees to actively participate in the search for new and better solutions to optimize our workflows and processes and increase customer satisfaction.
• We provide our employees with regular training and development to ensure that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out their tasks effectively. We also support the personal and professional development of our employees by giving them the opportunity to learn new skills and develop their careers within our company.
• We recognize and reward our employees who excel in their commitment, performance and suggestions for improvement. We believe that recognizing the achievements of our employees can help increase team engagement and satisfaction and foster a culture of performance and excellence.

We are committed to regularly reviewing and improving our company policy and Code of Conduct.