Compliance & Commitments
Code of Conduct
The code of conduct aims at committing the employees to strictly adhere to current legislation and to comply with the ethical rules and principles follow specified in the corporate policy.
The Code of Conduct consists of four sections:
- Introduction: defines the purpose of the Code, the scope, the addressees and the main regulatory references;
- Ethical Code: states the mission, vision and values of KME;
- Code of Conduct: specifies the rules and standards of transversal behavior and relationships with different stakeholders;
- Implementation, monitoring and updating: defines the procedures for the dissemination and updating of the Code, specifies the procedures for reporting unfair behaviour and for managing infringements and explains the applicable disciplinary system.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
KME is committed to pursuing a sustainable strategy in the design of its business processes:
- Clear customer focus in product and process design
- Strict adherence to a company-wide code of conduct
- A zero-accident culture, providing a safe and healthy working environment for our employees, visitors and contractors
- Continuous assessment of risks associated with operational processes and future activities
- Proactive compliance with legal requirements, customer requirements and other requirements
- Implementation and support of the best available techniques and procedures for the continuous improvement of our processes
- Development of prevention strategies to avoid environmental pollution and accidents in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of KME
- Efficient use of materials and energy in the manufacture and provision of our products and services
- Manufacturing products that meet the requirements of being ‘safe’, ‘energy-efficient’ and ‘recyclable’
- Open dialogue with our neighbours, authorities and other interested parties
- Promoting a culture in which all employees share this commitment
Our corporate guidelines define global standards that are binding for all operating companies within KME.
The Code of Conduct aims to commit employees to strict compliance with current legislation and to follow the ethical rules and principles set out in company policy. The Code of Conduct consists of four sections:
- Introduction: defines the purpose, scope and target audience of the Code of Conduct and contains references to important legislation;
- Code of Ethics: describes KME's goals, vision and values;
- Code of Conduct: sets out the rules and standards for overall conduct and relations with the various stakeholders;
- Implementation, Monitoring and Updating: defines procedures for disseminating and updating the Code of Conduct, establishes procedures for reporting unfair conduct and dealing with violations, and describes the disciplinary system to be applied.
The management systems implemented at KME comply with the requirements of the following international standards:
- ISO 9001:2015 (quality management)
- IATF 16949:2016 (additional QM requirements for automotive sectors)
- ISO 14001:2015 (environmental protection)
- ISO 45001:2018 (occupational health and safety)
- ISO 50001:2018 (energy management)
Health is a highly valued individual asset and is of considerable importance for the long-term security of a company. Healthy, qualified and motivated employees are the key factors for achieving KME's goals. The occupational health management system pursues the following objectives:
- Reducing workloads and stress
- Reducing work-related illnesses and health risks
- Sustainably improving health and well-being in the workplace
- Maintaining employee performance
- Increasing employee motivation and satisfaction
- Securing the long-term success of the company
To achieve these ambitious goals, we offer our employees:
- Our own company medical service
- Flexible working time models
- Company integration management
- Health and theme days
- Life coaching
- Exercise programmes
- Management development
REACH is a European Union regulation that came into force in 2007. It serves to protect people and the environment from potential hazards posed by chemicals. At the same time, it aims to increase the competitiveness of the chemical industry in the EU. This is achieved by manufacturers and importers of chemicals processing their data and assessing the potential risk. This information is communicated to the ECHA. The safer uses of the substance are specified and the risk management measures required for the user are communicated.
- KME's declaration on this matter can be found in the download area.
- Further information: ⇒ ECHA echa.europa.eu/web/guest/regulations/reach/ ⇒ BAUA www.baua.de/de/Chemikaliengesetz-Biozidverfahren/REACH-Helpdesk/REACH.html
KME supplies products made of copper and copper alloys in the form of hot- and cold-rolled strips and sheets, pressed and drawn tubes, profiles and rods, stamped parts and special products such as casting moulds. These are considered articles under REACH. All substances or preparations contained in the articles have been registered or pre-registered by KME or an upstream actor in the supply chain.
- KME is a downstream user of the substances contained in copper and copper alloy products. These substances are subject to the registration procedure as phase-in substances. Their use in the production of copper and copper alloy products is taken into account in the registration.
According to the REACH Regulation, semi-finished products made of copper and copper alloys are considered articles. These are not subject to any legal obligation to provide a safety data sheet. Nevertheless, KME would like to provide its customers with the information contained in the safety data sheet. For this purpose, we provide information sheets for articles. This is a voluntarily created document that does not serve the formal requirements of the REACH Regulation.
- Articles made of copper (CU)
- Articles made of zinc-copper alloys (ZC)
- Articles made of copper-tin alloys (CS)
- Articles made of copper-nickel alloys (CN)
- Articles made of copper-manganese alloys (CM)
- Articles made of low-alloy copper (CL)
- Articles made of copper-nickel-silicon alloys (CH-CuNiSi)
- Articles made of copper-chromium-zirconium alloys (CH-CuCrZr)
- Articles made of copper-cobalt-beryllium alloys (CH-CuCoBe)
- Articles made of brass (lead-free) (BU)
- Articles made of brass (BL)
- Articles made of copper-zinc alloys (BC)
CONTACT
Compliance with REACH requirements is coordinated centrally for KME by the following contact person
Email: Reach.de@kme.com
Phone: +49 541 321 1509
The European RoHS Directive aims to restrict the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. It applies equally to all EU Member States. KME's declaration on this matter can be found in the download area.
Use of metals from conflict regions
KME products may contain tin in the composition of the metal alloy or have a coating containing tin or gold. KME sources tin as a raw material only from recognised/registered suppliers as 100% recycled. KME does not directly purchase any material from conflict mines and KME does not knowingly use any material originating from conflict mines.
Acceptance catalogue for copper scrap
KME can accept and process secondary raw materials from copper and copper alloys even if they are classified as waste by the producer. The disposal code is: C6K100000.
Reporting procedure (Whistleblowing)
KME is committed to creating a culture where everyone feels free to speak about concerns securely and confidentially. That includes our workforce as well as third parties such as customers, suppliers or other stakeholders. KME takes all concerns seriously and handles them promptly, using an objective, fact-based approach.
KME does not tolerate any kind of threat, retaliation, penalty, discrimination against anyone who speaks openly about any unlawful act or omission that constitutes, or may constitute a violation of – or an inducement to violate – laws and regulations, the values and principles established in the KME Code of Conduct, company policies and procedures.
KME SE has appointed Dr. Carsten Thiel von Herff as Ombudsman of the Group and its subsidiaries. He serves all KME employees and third parties worldwide as an external contact point for the reporting of any breaches or wrongdoing.
Contact details of the Ombudsman
Dr. Carsten Thiel von Herff, LL.M.
Loebellstraße 4
33602 Bielefeld
Email: ombudsman@thielvonherff.de
T: +49 521 557 333 0
F: +49 521 557 333 44
Mobile: +49 151 5823 0321
Reporting channel
Entry mask on the Internet:
www.report-tvh.de
KME has also implemented, for the Italian companies of the Group, a digital whistleblowing reporting platform ("Compliance Hotline") provided by a specialized service provider.
The Compliance Hotline allows to submit reports either in written form by inputting the relevant details, in oral form by recording a voice message, or to check the status and outcome of a report. Additionally, reporting person have the option to communicate anonymously with the KME Compliance Office. The KME Compliance Office utilizes the Compliance Hotline to review all received reports and conduct necessary verification procedures.
For further details, please refer to the "Whistleblowing and Reports Management - Rules of Procedure" policy adopted by KME.
Reporting procedure (Whistleblowing)
KME is committed to creating a culture where everyone feels free to speak about concerns securely and confidentially. That includes our workforce as well as third parties such as customers, suppliers or other stakeholders.
KME takes all concerns seriously and handles them promptly, using an objective, fact-based approach.
KME does not tolerate any kind of threat, retaliation, penalty, discrimination against anyone who speaks openly about any unlawful act or omission that constitutes, or may constitute a violation of – or an inducement to violate – laws and regulations, the values and principles established in the KME Code of Conduct, company policies and procedures.
KME SE has appointed Dr. Carsten Thiel von Herff as Ombudsman of the Group and its subsidiaries. He serves all KME employees and third parties worldwide as an external contact point for the reporting of any breaches or wrongdoing.
Contact details of the Ombudsman
Dr. Carsten Thiel von Herff, LL.M.
Loebellstraße 4
33602 Bielefeld
Email: ombudsman@thielvonherff.de
T: +49 521 557 333 0
F: +49 521 557 333 44
Mobile: +49 151 5823 0321
Reporting channel
Entry mask on the Internet:
KME has also implemented, for the Italian companies of the Group, a digital whistleblowing reporting platform ("Whistleblower Platform") provided by a specialized service provider.
The Whistleblower Platform allows to submit reports either in written form by inputting the relevant details, in oral form by recording a voice message, or to check the status and outcome of a report. Additionally, reporting person have the option to communicate anonymously with the KME Compliance Office. The KME Compliance Office utilizes the Whistleblower Platform to review all received reports and conduct necessary verification procedures.
For further details, please refer to the "Whistleblowing and Reports Management - Rules of Procedure" policy adopted by KME.
Code of conduct
Corporate Policy of KME Germany GmbH