Code of Conduct
Hipp & Son works conscientiously to enhance our values, oursocial work environment and our environmental performance. To continuously achieve improvements and meet our customers’ and the market’s demands and preferences, we have developed a code of conduct that applies to both H&S andour suppliers. The code of conduct is communicated through our information meetings and website.
Employee rights
We are committed to diversity. The laws of the countries where we and our suppliers operate are to be complied with and always constitute a minimum level for employees’ terms of employment. Occurrences of child labor, forced labor and discrimination are not accepted.
All employees shall have the right to organize into trade unions without adversely affecting their pay or working conditions in any way. Working hours shall be in compliance with the legal limits for weekly rest and overtime.
Business ethics
All employees continuously contribute to an improved working climate by taking personal responsibility and informing management when questions and problems arise.
We meet or exceed environmental legislation through our work with the company’s environmental management system, and we take environmental impact into account in conjunction with new projects and the purchase/use of new materials.
Kai Wissner
CEO
Hipp & Son
Environmental Policy
- We shall assume full responsibility throughout our production chain by understanding, and complying with, applicable laws, requirements, and expectations from our stakeholders.
- We shall examine and assess materials and components already during the design and purchasing process with the intention of, if possible, choosing more environmentally friendly alternatives.
- We shall minimize our negative impact on the environment by hiring local suppliers when reasonable.
- We shall look at our products from a lifecycle perspective and, to the best of our ability, support our customers in their environmental work.
- We shall work actively with reuse, separation, and recycling of materials to promote sustainable development for the benefit of current and future generations.
- All employees shall be committed to the environmental work and thereby contribute to continuous improvement of our environmental management system.
Kai Wissner
CEO
Hipp & Son
Conflict Minerals Sourcing Policy
Background
The so-called “conflict minerals” (also referred to as 3TG) include, in simple terms, the four metals tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold. 3TG can pose a problem when mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and adjoining countries, where conditions are often rough and human rights are being violated. In some cases, armed groups fight for control of the mines and revenues fund further violence. In August 2012, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) re-leased the final rule for Section 1502 on conflict minerals in the Dodd-Frank Act. Accordingly, companies are encouraged to disclose, and avoid, use of minerals that benefit armed groups in conflict-affected regions.
Policy Statement
Hipp & Son (H&S) is concerned about the issue and determined to only use 3TG that do not support conflict. As part of this endeavor, we regularly fill out the Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT), provided by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), aiming to clarify which smelters are being hired within our supply chain.
In support of this policy, H&S will:
- continue our work with the CMRT, which includes requesting CMRTs from rele-vant suppliers
- educate our personnel on conflictminerals
- collaborate with our stakeholders to promote responsible sourcing of 3TG.
Read more about conflict minerals here:
http://www.responsiblemineralsinitiative.org/
https://www.oecd.org/corporate/mne/mining.htm
