Compliance with laws, rules and internal regulations is a top priority for us. We can only protect our company, our employees and our business partners if we act in accordance with the law and with integrity.

But wherever people work, mistakes can be made. In order to fulfil the legal requirements of the Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG) and the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) and to be able to follow up on reports of violations or misconduct fairly and appropriately, we have introduced a whistleblower system.

Suspicious cases and complaints can be reported to the whistleblower system confidentially and, if desired, anonymously.

These include, for example, violations of antitrust and competition law, environmental regulations and human rights, as well as indications of corruption, theft, money laundering and other criminal offences.

In addition to employees, business partners and other third parties can also provide information on violations of human rights and environmental obligations and the associated risks.

The human rights obligations include the prohibition of child labour, protection against slavery and the prohibition of disregarding occupational health and safety. Environmental aspects include, on the one hand, substances that pose a risk to people and the environment and, on the other, actions or circumstances that may lead to violations of human rights

A report can be submitted in any language. If necessary, a translation will be arranged.

Particularly in the case of anonymous reports, please ensure that the information is formulated as specifically as possible and, if necessary, that documents are attached to support your suspicions.

It is also helpful if you are available to the reporting centre for further questions. Otherwise, the facts of the case cannot be discussed and you may not be informed of the progress of the proceedings.

Information on the processing of your data can be found in our data protection notice.

Procedure

Upon receipt of the report, the reporting person will receive a confirmation of receipt from the reporting office in due time. This also applies in the case of an anonymous report by mail, provided that a reporting channel intended for the submission of anonymous reports, e.g. via a third party (lawyer or authorised person) is used or another anonymous contact option is available.

The report is then carefully checked for plausibility. If further information is required, the reporting office will, if possible, contact the reporting person in order to obtain further information.

If there are concrete indications of a violation, an internal investigation and possibly further appropriate follow-up or remedial measures (e.g. improvement of internal processes) may be initiated.

The information is processed as part of a fair and confidential process, in particular with regard to the identity of the person providing the information, and in compliance with data protection law. Furthermore, the principle of proportionality is observed.

Discrimination or penalisation of the whistleblower based on a complaint about an actual or suspected violation will not be tolerated. To this end, we have set up an independent reporting office and the option of submitting a report anonymously.

If possible, contact is maintained with the whistleblowers in accordance with the relevant legal requirements and the facts of the case are discussed if necessary. In addition, the whistleblowers are informed of the progress of the proceedings in a timely manner.

Information provided will only be passed on to those persons who must be involved in the processing of the report, insofar as this is absolutely necessary to determine the facts of the case.

All information received will be documented, stored and deleted in accordance with the legal provisions.

Our appeal procedure is regularly reviewed with regard to its effectiveness and improved where necessary.

Contact

In order to guarantee the maximum protection for whistleblowers and those affected, we have established an independent reporting office, the atarax group of companies. Trust is their business, here you are in good hands.

TThe following communication channels are available to ensure complete confidentiality:

• by phone at: +49 160 / 96210839 (Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm, except on public holidays)
• E-Mail to: compliance@atarax.de
• written information by mail to:
  atarax Unternehmensgruppe
  Luitpold-Maier-Str. 7
  D-91074 Herzogenaurach
• At the whistleblower's request, a report can also be made in a confidential personal face-to-face meeting within a reasonable period of time.
• digital whistleblower system at wirthwein.whistleblower-system.de