Guided by our strong company Values and Principles (V&Ps) for over 170 years, we pride ourselves on being responsible corporate citizens in all countries and communities in which we do business. At Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions LTD we maintain high ethical standards in all aspects of our business dealings and take steps to monitor and control these aspects within our supply chain. We will not agree to or condone entering into or carrying on business where illegal or unethical means are utilised.
We operate as an international manufacturer and supplier of branded laundry care and household cleaning products. Our distribution chain includes mass merchandisers such as supermarkets and home-care centres based in Europe, Africa, North and South America, Asia and Australia.
This statement sets out the practices and procedures we have put in place to identify risks of modern slavery and human trafficking and steps we have taken to combat this throughout our business dealings.
We are a part of the Freudenberg SE group of companies (Group). This is our parent company responsible for business operations, the management and supervisory board, and the body which exercises control over business management and the leadership of the Group. This position is held jointly with Freudenberg & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, responsible for strategic management and business development. More information on our company structure can be found at https://www.freudenberg.com/company/company-structure.
The Group operates as a global technology company providing consumer goods and products in the transport and mobility industry, energy and resource sector and a wide range of household products including textiles, chemicals and healthcare. The Group has around 50,000 employees across 60 countries. Our relationship with suppliers is varied and ever increasing, which is why we hold corporate responsibility and our V&Ps firmly anchored at the heart of our business and as such we are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or any part of our business. More information on our Responsibility for Society model can be found at https://www.freudenberg.com/fileadmin/responsibility_report/FreudenbergGroup_ProgressReport_2021.pdf.
As a part of our Sustainability Policy, we are always striving for solutions to improve living conditions across the globe. Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions LTD and the Group as a whole firmly believe that in order to hold our own as one of the leading global technology and household product suppliers in the market, we must take steps in combatting and eliminating human trafficking and slavery, and ensuring that
our employees and business partners are aware from the outset of our V&Ps.
The Group’s Human Rights & Labour Policy sets out our commitment to promoting the highest standards of personal behaviour, in order to protect our employees in the workplace and extend this duty towards our relationship with business partners and the public. In accordance with our Leadership Principles, the Group explicitly prohibits the exploitation of vulnerable people in any capacity.Our Corporate Citizenship Policy promotes the Group’s goal to become a good corporate citizen to all of the countries and communities in which you can find our products. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all aspects of our business and to implementing and enforcing the necessary procedures and controls to eradicate trafficking and slavery from our supply chains.
Our Corporate Compliance Policy operates in order to ensure that our suppliers embrace and adhere to the behavioural principles that are central to our V&Ps such as prohibiting child labour or forced labour to achieve economical aims and protecting fair and respectful working hours and conditions.
More information on our code Code of Conduct can be found here: https://www.freudenberg.com/fileadmin/downloads/english/FRE1016_CodeofConduct_2022_EN.pdf
Our Ethical Sourcing Program and Guiding Principles provide support & guidance for our employees in making sound decisions about our supplier partnerships, via:-
As part of the German Supply Chain Act which became effective in January 2023, whistleblowers may also point out risks to human rights and the environment as well as violations of human rights or environmental obligations resulting from Freudenberg's economic activities in its own business area or caused by a direct or indirect supplier of Freudenberg.
If you want more information or to report any issues, please see here: https://www.freudenberg.com/company/ethics-office
We expect all of our suppliers to adopt and promote positive ethical behaviour and good working practices and to comply with all international laws regarding human rights and fair employment practices.
The Group are proud to be a part of the United Nations Global Compact, a voluntary corporate responsibility initiative which currently has over 12,000 participants committed to promoting fair and ethical business practices in accordance with values and sustainability. We are guided by the principles underlying the Global Compact in the four key areas of Human Rights, Labour, Environment and Anti-Corruption.
To ensure a high level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and our business, we at Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions LTD see our suppliers as partners with whom we wish to create long-term relationships based on trust. As a result, we have introduced an “Ethical Sourcing Program” which specifies our expectations towards all of our suppliers in relation to child labour and forced labour, minimum wages and unethical working conditions, health, safety and environmental protection. In addition to this, we impose a series of additional safeguarding measures to ensure that these principles are actively upheld, including on-site audits and self-assessments. We are committed to ensuring that we only engage with businesses with whom we share mutual principles and values of respectful working conditions and ethical treatment.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31 December 2022.
Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions LTD
