AKG Code of Conduct
Established in 1919 as an internationally operating family-owned business in its third generation, AKG enjoys a good reputation worldwide.
In addition to the following AKG corporate principles:
- Long-term continuance of the family-owned business
- Preservation of independence
- Continuous improvement of processes and products
- Continuous healthy growth
- High flexibility
- Efficient use of investments
- Employer and employees as reliable partners
- Success factors for further development of AKG and its employees are embracing change, taking responsibility and promoting teamwork
we are committed to fundamental ethics and conduct guidelines which are linked to the four key issues of "Human Rights", "Occupational Safety", "Environmental Protection" and "Fighting Corruption". In turn are made concrete by the ten principles of the Global Compact of the United Nations. By observing the procedures described in this Code of Conduct, we contribute towards ensuring our long-term business success:
1. Law abidance:
We acknowledge the legal system of the respective country in which AKG operates.
2. Fighting corruption:
We oppose any type of corruption, including extortion, fraud or bribery. We therefore cannot approve the act of offering or accepting sums of money suitable for influencing business decisions when initiating or awarding a contract.
3. Fundamental rights of the employees:
We acknowledge that all employees are free and equal in dignity and rights without regard to race, skin colour, gender, age, language, religious, political or other beliefs, national or social origin. We respect the dignity, privacy and personality of our employees.
4. Conflict of interests:
It is of great importance for us to not become involved in conflicts of while conducting our business. For that reason, we only permit ourselves to be guided by company interests for our professional obligations and avoid activities that are opposite to the business interests or the fulfilment of these obligations. We keep private interests and the interests of AKG strictly apart and refrain from any misuse of a position within the company, or using of company information or company property for personal purposes or granting of an undue advantage for third parties.
5. Handling information:
We protect and uphold the property, assets and business opportunities of AKG. For that reason, corporate secrets and any not publicly available information about AKG, its customers, suppliers or other business partners are used strictly confidentially and never outside the AKG-Group (and especially not passed on to unauthorised third parties).
6. Health and safety of the employees at work:
We are aware that social justice is a basic requirement for sustainable peace and therefore oppose the following forms of work force abuse:
- AKG does not accept any form of forced or compulsory labour and opposes any form of child labour in understanding of the ILO convention 138.
- Within the meaning of the previously defined law abidance and principles on implementing the General Equal Treatment Act (“Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz”), AKG will not accept any form of active or passive discrimination in the employment relationship.
- Furthermore, AKG supports the freedom of association of its male and female employees and sets value on the appropriate remuneration of its male and female employees.
- AKG is fully aware of its existing responsibility for the health and safety of its employees and therefore considers it an important task to regularly train the employees in the area of industrial safety and to take preventive measures in terms of industrial accidents and occupational illnesses.
7. Environmental protection:
AKG considers protecting the environment and its natural resources, by means of a sustainable and fair economy that attempts to balance the requirements of our current and future generations, one of the most important goals in maintaining, protecting, and restoring the integrity of the earth's ecological system.
We have therefore made it our very own task to continuously improve environmental protection by using our own available resources and reducing our environmental pollution to ensure that AKG operates as healthily and productively as possible in harmony with nature.
To meet these goals, AKG already applies the ISO 14001 environmental management system at selected plants and is certified accordingly.
8. Business Partners:
We will work on ensuring that our suppliers, sub-contractors and business partners in a sales support capacity, such as agents and trading representatives etc., observe the contents of this AKG Code of Conduct in an appropriate manner. To do so, we have included a corresponding reference to the AKG Code of Conduct in the purchasing documents which will become the contractual basis for every purchase order. With a respective link to the AKG website, the supplier can take note of the content of the AKG Code of Conduct at any time. At the same time we will contractually undertake our sub-contractors and business partners to comply with this AKG Code of Conduct by signing appropriate declarations.
9. Review / Auditing:
AKG will ensure compliance with the principles and requirements of the AKG Code of Conduct within the AKG Group at its own discretion using appropriate internal reviews at regular intervals or with an audit performed by external, independent third parties.
AKG reserves the right to review the business partner - even on site - to ensure observance of the obligations from the AKG Code of Conduct under consideration of the business concerns as well as the business secrets of the business partner either through AKG, or its representatives, or a third party contracted by AKG who is acceptable to the business partner.
10. Applicability of the Code of Conduct:
This Code of Conduct shall be applied to the following companies of the AKG-Group:
- AKG Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Hofgeismar
- AKG Thermotechnik International GmbH & Co. KG, Hofgeismar
- AKG Thermal Systems International GmbH, Hofgeismar
- AKG Thermotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Dortmund
- AKG Thermotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Hofgeismar
- AKG Thermotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Uslar
- AKG France SAS, Sarreguemines
- AKG Termoteknik Sistemler San. Ve Tic. Ltd.Şti., Izmir
- AKG UK Ltd., Cardiff
- Autokühler GmbH & Co. KG, Hofgeismar
- SIA AKG Thermotechnik Lettland, Jelgava
11. Appointment of a central point of contact:
In case of any questions with regard to the content and the interpretation of the present Code of Conduct the employees may contact its line managers or Mr. Johannes Koch (Compliance Officer) under +49 5671 883 1148. This applies also for the business partners of AKG.