Internal reporting office according to the Whistleblower Protection Act – Reporting system

The Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG) – which came into force in Germany in July 2023 – protects whistleblowers from professional disadvantages.

In accordance with this legal obligation, we provide a whistleblower reporting system for employees and external parties. You can use this protected channel to report information about violations within the meaning of the HinSchG.

Your information is of great importance to us in order to uncover irregularities in the company and take appropriate measures so that we can jointly create a trusting working environment. All reports received are anonymous and will be treated with absolute confidentiality. There are absolutely no disadvantages for you as a whistleblower.

What can be reported?

In principle, it is possible to report any violations of the Code of Conduct, other guidelines and all other violations of laws and regulations via the whistleblower system. These can be, for example

• Inappropriate behaviour in relation to our Code of Conduct
• Theft, extortion, corruption
• Environmental protection
• Applicable rights and laws

Reports that are not related to a professional activity at Schulz & Sohn will not be processed. The whistleblower system may not be used to knowingly submit false reports. This is illegal and punishable by law.

What should I pay attention to when submitting a report?

When you submit a notification, it should be as detailed as possible. Please provide information on:

• What did you observe/perceive?
• Which people were involved?
• When and where did the incident take place?
• If you did not witness the incident personally: How did you find out about the incident?

How can a report be made?

You have the option of submitting a report via our reporting channel.

The whistleblower system ensures that data protection and anonymity are fully guaranteed. It is not possible to technically trace reports. The system can be accessed around the clock from any internet-enabled device. You can also submit a report by telephone.

The link to the system is: Whistle Report (whistle-report.com)
It is also possible to contact the reporting centre personally at the e-mail address: compliance@schulzchemie.com .

How does the procedure work?

Firstly, you will receive confirmation of receipt of your report within 7 days. In an initial assessment, the Reporting Centre will first check whether the reported violation falls within the scope of the Whistleblower Protection Act. If an offence has been committed, an investigation will be initiated to further examine the validity of the report. The results of this investigation are analysed and appropriate measures are taken.

If further information is required, the Reporting Centre will contact you if you have submitted your report via the whistleblower portal or if you have not contacted us anonymously by other means.

Within three months, the Reporting Centre will provide the whistleblower with feedback on any follow-up measures planned or already taken and the reasons for these.

The person affected by the allegation will be informed of the suspicion as early as possible and given the opportunity to comment. If an offence has not been proven, the presumption of innocence applies, so all information is treated fairly and confidentially, and all facts are considered.

Data protection and retention periods

Unless you submit your report anonymously, we process your personal data to fulfil the tasks of the reporting office in compliance with the applicable laws on the General Data Protection Regulation and the Whistleblower Protection Act.

As a rule, your data will be stored until the follow-up measures have been completed. In addition, the data will generally be deleted two months after a report has been legally concluded, unless the initiation of further legal action requires further retention (e.g. initiation of criminal or disciplinary proceedings).

Personal data in connection with reports will be deleted by us immediately if we consider them to be obviously irrelevant.

Here you can download information on the whistleblower system as a PDF.

We would like to thank you for taking responsibility, because only together with you can we ensure that we can be successful in the long term. Please help us to do so!

Your management