Reporting violations of the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations for the Prevention of Human Rights Violations in Supply Chains (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz – LkSG)
On 1 January 2023, the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations for the Prevention of Human Rights Violations in Supply Chains (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz – LkSG) came into force, which initially applies to companies with at least 3000 employees (from 1 January 2024 already from 1000 employees) and registered office in Germany as well as to their direct suppliers. The German legislation will soon be followed by a stricter European “Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive”, which will oblige all companies with business activities in the EU to identify human rights and certain environmental risks along their value chains, to take preventive or remedial measures and to report on them.
Purpose of the reporting form
The purpose of the reporting form is to be able to submit and process information on certain criminal offences and breaches of the law in the area of the Supply Chain Sourcing Obligations Act securely and confidentially, either by name or anonymously.
Data protection
We take the issue of data protection and confidentiality very seriously and follow the applicable data protection regulations. Please read the following data protection information carefully before submitting a report.
The information and data you report will be evaluated by Würth International AG, Aspermontstrasse 1, CH-7000 Chur and, if necessary, by affiliated companies of the Würth Group (hereinafter jointly referred to as “Würth”). The reporting form is operated by Würth IT GmbH, Industriepark Würth, DE-97980 Bad Mergentheim as well as Wurth Information Technology India Pvt. Ltd, Office No. 01.01, 3rd Floor, Tower A, Nalanda Shelter Private Limited – SEZ, Blue Ridge Town Pune, Hinjewadi Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park, Hinjewadi, IN-411057 Pune (hereinafter also referred to as “Würth”), on behalf of Würth International AG.
Type of personal data collected
The use of the reporting form is on a voluntary basis. When you submit a report, we collect the following personal data and information:
- your name, if you disclose your identity / pseudonym
- your e-mail address
- if applicable, names of persons as well as other personal data of the persons you name in your report
Confidential treatment of tips
Incoming information is received by a narrow circle of expressly authorised and specially trained Würth employees and is always treated confidentially. Würth employees examine the facts of the case and, if necessary, carry out further case-related clarification of the facts.
In the course of processing a report or in the course of a special investigation, it may be necessary to pass on information to other Würth employees, e.g. to employees in the audit or HR departments. In order to process your report, it may also be necessary to pass on data to countries outside the European Union or the European Economic Area, where different regulations on the protection of personal data may exist. We always ensure that the relevant data protection regulations are complied with when passing on notices.
Any person who gains access to the data is obliged to maintain confidentiality.
Retention period of personal data
Personal data is retained for as long as is necessary for the clarification and final assessment. After the conclusion of the whistleblowing process, this data is deleted in accordance with the legal requirements.
Use of the whistleblower portal
The whistleblower form is based on a Microsoft Forms template. Communication between your computer and the whistleblower system takes place via an encrypted connection (SSL). The IP address of your computer is not stored during the use of the whistleblower portal. Regarding the use of cookies, we refer to the corresponding data protection declaration of Microsoft.
Click here to get to the registration form.