Weidmüller, as a family-owned company, respects and supports compliance with internationally recognized human rights standards:
We consider human rights as a fundamental component of responsible corporate governance. Our Code of Conduct incorporates these principles and the Guiding Principles. It is binding for our employees and business partners and applies in all of our company’s subsidiaries, production sites and business units worldwide. As a participant in the United Nations Global Compact, we are committed to upholding human rights and respecting the rights of employees and their representatives. At Weidmüller, we commit to prevent, mitigate and, as far as possible, end adverse impacts on human rights within our business operations globally. For us, social responsibility is an essential aspect for the long-term success of our company. To create a uniform social standard within the Weidmüller Group and to demonstrate compliance with social values, Weidmüller has introduced its Principles for Human Rights and Decent Work based on the standards SA 8000 and ISO 26000. These principles apply to our employees and business partners.
As a family-owned company, compliance with human rights and protection of the environment as well as sustainable actions are of great importance to Weidmüller. To fulfill the due diligence obligations arising from the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence in Supply Chains and to meet our corporate responsibility, we have established appropriate measures and processes for monitoring and ensuring compliance.
In particular, this includes an appropriate risk management system and due diligence checks to identify potential human rights and environmental risks and violations, which cover both our own business operations and our external supply chain.
The Human Rights Committee (Corporate Social Responsibility Committee), which is headed by two CSR-Governance Officers, is responsible for and organizes the topic internally. It investigates potential risks and violations and, where necessary, develops and monitors migration strategies.
In addition to the internal Group Compliance department, which is part of the Human Rights Committee, employees and third parties can also contact Dr. Carsten Thiel von Herff, the external ombudsman for the Weidmüller Group, confidentially (anonymously if desired). We take reports of potential grievances very seriously and investigate them diligently in order to remedy any violations identified within the scope of our possibilities.
We also sensitize our employees and business partners to human rights and environmental standards. We expect our business partners to show an equally consistent commitment to the protection of human rights and the environment. This is verified through contractual regulations as well as audits and assessments.
Our measures and processes are subject to regular review and further development to ensure that we meet both the legal requirements and our own standards.
As a company, we strive for transparent communication and partnership-based cooperation along our supply chain in order to make a joint contribution to the promotion of human rights and sustainable action. You can view our policy statement on compliance with human rights and environmental due diligence obligations in accordance with Section 6 (2) of the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains of July 16, 2021 (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz - LkSG) here:
Responsible social action / behaviour in accordance with the relevant legal regulations is a matter of course for the Weidmüller Group. The Code of Conduct of the Weidmüller Group, which is our global standard for ethical business forms the principles for our corporate management and employees within the scope of our entrepreneurial/economic activities. It is based on the ZVEI-VDMA Code of Conduct. The two associations ZVEI e. V. – the German Electro and Digital Industry Association and VDMA e. V. – the German Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers Association have jointly developed the aforementioned Code of Conduct. Weidmüller is acting according to these ethics and has integrated the Code of Conduct into its global processes. It is binding for our employees and business partners.
Our supplier management system is based on a documented process for evaluating, qualifying and managing our suppliers. In addition, the Weidmüller Code of Conduct (Download) for Suppliers defines the corresponding expectations and requirements towards our suppliers. 100 percent of our suppliers accept our Code of Conduct. In addition to high quality standards, our requirements for occupational safety, environmental protection and ethical behaviour must also be met. This is regularly checked by certified auditors and improvement measures are jointly agreed. In doing so, Weidmüller strives for long-term partnerships and continuous improvement. Through this comprehensive supplier management process, we also ensure our ability to deliver and identify and avoid bottlenecks. In 2022, the proportion of newly created suppliers worldwide that were audited in an onboarding audit was 36 percent. After the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, it is planned to catch up on deferred on-site audits of suppliers in 2023. The objective is also to revise the audit planning process by extending the criteria for product criticality and to extend the audit questionnaires to include new legal requirements.
We take due diligence measures to avoid the use of conflict minerals in our products so as to prevent human rights abuses, corruption and funding of armed groups or other such issues. To comply with US SEC regulations, many Weidmüller customers are required to disclose whether the products they purchase originate in the Democratic Republic of Congo or adjoining countries. These “conflict minerals” include tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold and their derivatives. To ensure the flow of information in the supply chain, corresponding processes have already been established in the area of supplier management. For further questions on this topic, please contact your contact person in Customer Service. You can also obtain our current Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT) there.
In the spirit of sustainable development and our global responsibility, we are committed to proactively advancing climate protection and contributing towards the fulfilment of the Paris Climate Agreement. In doing so, we are guided by the cornerstones of the EU climate protection strategy as well as other relevant national and international targets.
We have been an active member of the Climate Protection Companies group, a German business network, since 2013. We are committed to ambitious climate protection and energy efficiency targets and work together to optimize the use of energy and protect the climate.
Weidmüller has established an integrated management system (IMS) that combines quality management, environmental management, energy management, occupational safety management and other management systems, thus ensuring a holistic and consistent management approach. You can find all information on the IMS and the current certificates here.
We take breaches of our Code of Conduct very seriously. In order to uncover these in time and give everyone a safe way to make cases of unethical behaviour transparent, we have introduced a compliance mailbox and established corresponding processes.
We attach great importance to the safety and conformity of our products and always ensure this. You can find all relevant content on product compliance and declarations of conformity (incl. RoHS and REACH) here.