Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct of The Quality Group GmbH and its affiliated companies

Code of Conduct

Date: April 2023

Our values ​​compass

We, The Quality Group GmbH and all subsidiaries and affiliated companies belonging to our group, are a young, growing company in a constantly changing society. We love the challenges that arise and try to keep up with new developments. But we are also a company with a sense of responsibility towards society, our customers, our employees and business partners. We are committed to living up to this responsibility by making our daily decisions in accordance with certain ethical, moral and legal standards. The Code of Conduct contains the commitment to these standards, which our Values ​​compass It serves as a guide and applies to each and every one of us, regardless of their position in our group of companies, and is also the standard we have for our business partners.

1. Respect and human dignity We respect human dignity, observe internationally recognized human rights and adhere to internationally recognized labor standards.

We treat each other with respect and appreciation. We reject any form of unlawful punishment, abuse, harassment, intimidation or other undignified treatment of employees. We adhere to the applicable labor law in all employment relationships and expect the same from our business partners.

2. Prohibition of child labour We do not tolerate child labor and observe the applicable legal minimum age for admission to employment. In any case, we do not employ anyone under the age at which compulsory schooling ends under the law of the place of employment, nor under the age of 15. We expect our business partners to take the necessary measures to prevent child labor.

3. Prohibition of forced labour We reject any form of forced or compulsory labour, including any form of debt bondage, servitude, slavery or slave-like practices, human trafficking or other involuntary work and services that are incompatible with internationally recognised labour and social standards.

4. Fair compensation We comply with legal regulations when it comes to remuneration for work. We guarantee that the wages we pay do not fall below the applicable statutory, fixed or industry-standard minimum wage.

5. Compliance with working hours We comply with legal regulations regarding working hours, including overtime, rest breaks and vacation time.

6. Diversity and inclusion, prohibition of discrimination Our society is diverse and so are we. We value this diversity as an added value and do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of national or ethnic origin, social background, health status, disability, sexual orientation, age, gender, political opinion, religion or ideology.

7. Fair competition We only pursue legitimate business goals and practices. Our business partners are reputable. We treat our business partners fairly and with respect. We respect the different legal, economic, social and cultural backgrounds and conditions of the countries and regions in which we operate. We prevail in competition through performance and not through impermissible agreements. We do not discuss anything with our competitors that could affect competition. We also do not restrict our business partners in their behavior towards their competitors. We do not advertise with the brands or intellectual property rights of other companies, but rather build the reputation of our products and brands through our own efforts.

8. Prohibition of corruption and bribery We reject all forms of bribery and corruption and avoid even the appearance of such - for example in the form of granting or accepting unfair advantages. We do not accept inappropriate invitations, gifts or payments and do not offer them to others in order to buy competitive advantages. We act in accordance with the applicable import and export control regulations and adhere to the legal requirements for the prevention of money laundering.

9. Data protection and confidentiality We attach great importance to the protection of our product developments and other operational and business secrets in our group of companies. We also protect sensitive data and confidential information entrusted to us or made available to us by our business partners from unauthorized acquisition, use and disclosure. We respect the personal rights of our employees, business partners and customers and, when dealing with personal information, we adhere to the applicable legal and regulatory requirements for the processing of personal data and information security.

10. Responsibility We develop and produce products for consumers. We therefore bear a great responsibility for the safety and well-being of our customers. In order to live up to this responsibility, we select our raw materials, producers, suppliers, cooperation partners and other business partners based on quality standards that ensure that our products or services comply with the relevant legal consumer protection regulations.

Demands on our producers, suppliers, cooperation partners and other business partners

The Code of Conduct not only represents our values ​​compass, but also describes our expectations of our producers, suppliers, cooperation partners and other business partners in our supply chains. Therefore, when selecting them, it is important for us to know that they either follow our values ​​compass or apply a comparable code of conduct and expect the same from their contractual partners.

Notice of violations

Anyone who suspects that there is or has been a violation of the above regulations in a company of The Quality Group has the opportunity to contact our external ombudsperson. The ombudsperson will examine every report objectively and, if requested, anonymously and, in cooperation with the group of companies, will initiate appropriate measures to clarify the incident, eliminate the violation and/or prevent further incidents. Our ombudsperson can be reached in the following ways:

Attorney Dr. Kathrin J. Niewiarra, Ombudswoman Sybelstr. 7 D-10629 Berlin Tel.: +49 (0) 30 / 4036750-17 TQGG@compliance-aid.com compliance-aid-tqgg.hintbox.de - Hintbox

Signature of Managing Director Stefan Smalla