Compliance

Supplier Code of Conduct

To Meister, it is important to take responsibility of its supply chain to ensure stakeholders impacted by Meisters’s operations are treated fairly and that its suppliers respectfully manage environmental, social, and governance issues. The purpose of this Supplier Code of Conduct is to guide our Suppliers in operating in line with international standards on responsible business conduct. The requirements are based on the UN Global Compact Principles, the UN Guiding principles for Business and Human Rights, and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. They are non-negotiable and valid to the Supplier as well as its sub-Suppliers and other business partners and puts equal stress on both direct and indirect involvement.

Any noncompliance is to be reported to Meister immediately, and the Supplier is to allow Meister, or any other third party authorized by Meister and reasonably acceptable to the Supplier, to conduct an audit of the Supplier’s operations relevant for the Supplier Code of Conduct. The Supplier must also provide contact information for any contractor or sub-Supplier that Meister requests. Meister reserves the right to update this Supplier Code of Conduct, whereupon a responsibility to communicate the updates devolves upon Meister, with enforcement of updated Supplier Code of Conduct three months after the initial notification has been made to Supplier.

This Supplier Code of Conduct is to be made readily available for all the Suppliers’ employees in their local language to increase transparency when it comes to both rights and obligations.

Arrow Anti-corruption and Anti-Bribery

Corruption, bribery, and facilitation payments is strongly prohibited, and the Supplier must commit to actively work to eliminate all forms of such actions.

Arrow Children’s Rights

The Supplier must seek to proactively contribute to the avoidance and elimination of child labor. No person younger than the age for completing compulsory education or younger than 15 may be employed. The minimum age for strenuous physical labor is 18 years.

Arrow Compliance with laws and regulations

The Supplier shall be conducting business in full compliance with all applicable regulations and laws in the jurisdictions it operates with regards to topics such as, but not limited to, antitrust, competition, customs, and trade restrictions.

Arrow Consumer protection

The Suppler shall always act in a way that protects consumers, ensure that they can make well-informed decisions, meet all consumer safety and health standards, and support consumer efforts to promote sustainable consumption.

Arrow Data Privacy

Protection of all personal data, for both customers and employees, must be ensured by the Supplier in all cases that data is collected, stored, or processed by the Supplier. The Supplier must comply with all applicable laws and regulation regarding data privacy and must not unlawfully or arbitrarily sell or hand over personal data to third parties without the consent of the affected employees, customers, or other actors.

Arrow Environment

The Supplier is required to proactively prioritize resource and energy efficiency, minimize waste, maximize recycling, prevent pollution to air, land and water and adhere to all relevant environmental regulations.

Arrow Freedom of Association

The Supplier shall fully and supportively recognize, and not interfere with, employees’ desire to lawfully and peacefully bargain or organize collectively.

Arrow Human Rights

The supplier shall support and respect internationally recognized human rights wherever it operates, defined, at a minimum, as those expressed in the International Bill of Human Rights and the ILO Principles and Rights at Work. The supplier shall not, directly or indirectly, violate or take advantage of any human rights violations.

Arrow Labor Rights

All labor is voluntary, and all employees must be free to leave upon reasonable notice. Further, the Supplier must ensure a workplace that is subject to all applicable regulations regarding fair wages and working hours while being free of harassment, abuse, and retaliation.

Arrow No Discrimination

Equal opportunities and treatment must be safeguarded for all employees and customers regardless of race, religion, gender identity, skin color, sexual identity or orientation, culture, age, nationality, country of birth, disability, personal relationship, union membership and/or political opinion.

Arrow Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)

The Supplier must ensure that all applicable OHS requirements are fulfilled and provide employees with a safe and healthy working environment. Precautionary and preventative measures shall ensure avoidance of illness, injury, or discomfort as a result of unsatisfactory working conditions.

Internal Whistleblowing Channel

We strive to maintain a transparent business climate and act with high business ethics. Through our internal whistleblowing channel, we provide the opportunity and encourage you to report suspicious misconduct, i.e. actions not in line with our values and policies, and breaches of EU or national laws within a work-related context.

All reported cases will be processed confidentially and impartially by the designated person of our company. If you report in good faith, you will be protected from all forms of retaliation.

How to report a case

1. Details of the case: 

Please describe what has happened and why you are reporting the case by at least answering the following questions i) what is your concern, ii) when did this happen, and iii) where did this happen. Do not include any sensitive personal information about any individual mentioned in your report if it is not necessary for describing your case. 

2. Report your case through our digital whistleblowing system: 

Report your case and provide the details mentioned in point 1 by filling out the form available at meisterlabs.hintbox.de.

3. Follow-up on the report: 

Receipt of the report will be confirmed within seven days and feedback on any action taken will be provided within three months. If any further information is required to conduct a diligent follow-up of your case, we will contact you. Your report will be handled in a secure manner that ensures the confidentiality of your identity and any other third-party mentioned. The report will be stored as long as necessary, but no longer than two years.

Additional information 

External reporting channels

If any circumstances mean you do not want to report suspicious misconduct to our internal whistleblowing channel, you can report externally to competent authorities. Please note this list of German competent authorities and their areas of responsibility:

  • Bundesamt für Justiz (Federal Office of Justice)
    Responsible for all reports that are not explicitly assigned to other external reporting offices.
  • Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (Federal Financial Supervisory Authority)
    Reports covered by Section 4d of the Financial Services Supervision Act, including reports concerning provisions of the Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act; Reports on violations of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing legislation; Reports on violations governing the rights of shareholders of stock corporations; Reports on violations of legal provisions on the audit of financial statements of public interest entities pursuant to Sec. 316a sentence 2 of the German Commercial Code; Reports on violations of legal provisions on accounting, including accounting by companies that are capital market-oriented within the meaning of Sec. 264d of the German Commercial Code, credit institutions within the meaning of Sec. 340 (1) of the German Commercial Code, securities institutions as defined in Sec. 340(4a) sentence 1 of the German Commercial Code, institutions as defined in Sec. 340 (5) sentence 1 of the German Commercial Code, insurance undertakings as defined in Sec. 341 (1) of the German Commercial Code, and pension funds as defined in Sec. 341 (4) sentence 1 of the German Commercial Code.
  • Bundeskartellamt (German Federal Cartel Office)
    Infringements of Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and infringements of the legal provisions referred to in Section 81(2)(1), (2)(a) and (5) and (3) of the Act against Restraints of Competition.

Last updated: March 2023

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