Equirements and principles for cooperation
The BORNIT® Corporate Principles
n the following corporate principles, BORNIT-Werk Aschenborn GmbH has set out its requirements and principles for itself and for its collaboration with its business partners.
Our company is committed to acting responsibly and with integrity. We treat our employees with respect, appreciation and openness, and compete fairly and in accordance with the law. In doing so, we accept our responsibility towards society, the environment and future generations.
Our business conduct is guided by integrity, reliability, personal responsibility, transparency and mutual respect.
We achieve commercial success exclusively through lawful and ethically sound means. Innovation, quality and a consistent focus on our customers’ needs form the basis for long-term business rela-tionships.
We expect our business partners, in particular suppliers and service providers, to respect, implement and integrate the requirements set out in these corporate principles into their business processes.
The following principles apply in general:
1. Dealing with employees
We and our business partners promote equal opportunities, diversity and equal treatment, as well as a working environment free from discrimination. We prevent any form of discrimination on grounds such as origin, gender, age, religion, belief, disability, sexual identity or any other characteristics protected by law. Furthermore, we uphold and respect internationally recognised human rights and acknowledge the applicable legal provisions on freedom of association, freedom of coalition and the right to employee representation. We and our business partners guarantee our employees at least the benefits and working conditions provided for by law or under collective agreements.
2. Health and Safety at Work
We and our business partners ensure safe and healthy working conditions by implementing appropriate preventive measures.
We protect our employees from work-related health and safety risks and promote a culture of health and safety at work.
As a minimum, all statutory requirements and regulations relating to health and safety at work applicable at the respective site must be complied with.
3. Environmental protection
We and our business partners are committed to complying with all environmental legislation and regulatory requirements applicable to our business activities.
We take appropriate measures to prevent or reduce environmental impact. These include, in particular,:
- the responsible use of natural resources,
- the prevention, reduction and proper disposal of waste,
- the reduction of emissions,
- the efficient use of energy, water and other resources.
Where environmental or climate targets are communicated or corresponding statements are made, these must be clear, transparent and verifiable. Misleading or unsubstantiated environmental and climate statements must be avoided.
We expect our business partners to regularly review their environmental performance and to continuously improve it as far as possible.
4. Prohibition of child labour
We and our business partners expressly reject child labour and any form of exploitation of children and young people.
The minimum age for employment must not be below the age at which compulsory schooling ends, nor below 15 years of age. The only exceptions to this are those permitted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
All national and international regulations concerning the protection of children and young people must be complied with.
5. Prohibition of forced labour
We and our business partners do not tolerate any form of forced labour, compulsory labour, debt bondage, serfdom, slave labour or slavery. Likewise, we reject any form of prison labour that violates human rights.
No one may be forced, directly or indirectly, to work through the use of violence, threats, intimidation or other unlawful means.
Employees must be treated with dignity, fairness and respect at all times. Employment relationships must be entered into exclusively on a voluntary basis.
6. Fair competition
We and our business partners are fully committed to fair competition and market conduct that complies with the law.
In particular, the following are not permitted:
- agreements restricting competition,
- collusive arrangements in breach of competition law,
- market or customer allocation,
- agreements on prices or terms and conditions,
- other conduct that prevents, restricts or distorts competition.
The applicable antitrust and competition law provisions must be complied with at all times.
7. Corruption Prevention and Integrity
We and our business partners reject all forms of corruption and bribery and do not participate, either directly or indirectly, in such acts.
We do not offer, promise or grant any improper advantages to our business partners in order to influence business decisions.
We avoid conflicts of interest or disclose them where they could give rise to risks of corruption, and we promote a corporate culture that supports integrity, transparency and compliance with the law.
8. Supply chain and subcontractors
We and our business partners pass on the requirements of these corporate principles, or equivalent standards, to our suppliers and subcontractors.
We require our suppliers and subcontractors, in an appropriate manner, to comply with these requirements and actively work to ensure that the principles are observed and implemented throughout the supply chain
9. Data Protection and Information Security
We and our business partners comply with all applicable data protection regulations and protect the personal data of employees, customers, business partners and other data subjects.
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect confidential information and personal data from unauthorised access, loss or misuse.
10. Implementation of and compliance with the company’s principles
We and our business partners are responsible for ensuring that the requirements set out in these corporate principles are met within our respective areas of responsibility.
Where there are specific indications of possible breaches, it is expected that appropriate investigations will be carried out or supported and that the necessary measures will be taken.
In the case of minor breaches, an opportunity may initially be given to implement appropriate corrective and improvement measures.
Serious breaches of these corporate principles may justify the extraordinary termination of the business relationship or the contractual relationship.
Notwithstanding this, statutory and contractual claims, in particular claims for damages, remain unaffected. Business partners must indemnify us against any losses, fines, regulatory sanctions and claims by third parties, insofar as these arise from a breach of these corporate principles.
Zwickau, 2 September 2026
Frank Metzner
Managing Director
In addition to the basic principles of BORNIT-Werk Aschenborn GmbH, the ‘Declaration of Principles of the Werhahn Group’ applies.