We maintain fair, quality and cost-optimized business relationships with our suppliers and unlock potential together. In addition to economic criteria, environmental and social standards are also pertinent to us during procurement. We want to ensure a high level of supply security for raw materials and packaging for all our production sites.

UZIN UTZ is committed to actions that are not limited to compliance with legal regulations, but are also based on ethical principles and a shared understanding of values. This attitude serves as the cornerstone for the trust placed in us by our employees, customers, shareholders and other stakeholders. UZIN UTZ's compliance guidelines contain essential and binding requirements for the conduct of all company employees and in interactions with business partners, shareholders and the wider community. In particular, they emphasise the importance of preventing corruption and complying with antitrust regulations.

In order to ensure that employees are fully aware of these guidelines, they are communicated via a variety of information channels. The central compliance guidelines are also available to all interested parties on the UZIN UTZ website. The implementation of a central contact point for compliance ensures that all stakeholders have a competent contact person. In addition, there is a separate gift policy that sets out clear guidelines for dealing with gifts and benefits in order to ensure transparency and integrity in our business relationships.

Whistleblower system

The Whistleblower Protection Act came into force in Germany on July 02, 2023. UZIN UTZ had already proactively implemented a Group-wide whistleblower system, which was introduced at the end of 2021 to guarantee the highest possible transparency and security. This system makes it possible to submit information on potential compliance violations to an independent ombudsman, who then forwards it to the internal compliance office. The whistleblower system has been established throughout the Group and is available to our own employees and external third parties to report potential violations of legal requirements or ethical standards, for example in the area of corruption or bribery, confidentially and anonymously if desired. Reports can be submitted in writing, electronically or by telephone. All reports are carefully examined and processed by the ombudsman to ensure an objective and fair investigation. The protection of whistleblowers has the highest priority. Clear regulations guarantee confidentiality and expressly exclude any disadvantages or reprisals. The Uzin Utz Group undertakes to investigate all incoming information with due diligence and to ensure that whistleblowers do not have to fear any negative consequences. The design of the system complies with the requirements of the EU Whistleblower Directive. The rules of procedure for the whistleblower system are transparent and can be viewed on the company website.

Supplier Code of Conduct

With the introduction of our compliance guideline, UZIN UTZ is committed to fundamental standards of conduct, responsible action and sustainable business practices. We attach great importance to ensuring that our business partners also share our corporate values and act accordingly. For this reason, we have developed a detailed Code of Conduct for suppliers and service providers, which serves as a central component of our compliance guidelines and sets out essential minimum standards. This Code of Conduct is a key element of our business relationships and plays a decisive role in the selection and evaluation of our suppliers. It requires our partners not only to comply with legal regulations, but also to firmly reject child labour, respect human rights and the protection of personal data, actively fight corruption, ensure product safety and meet the highest possible standards in environmental protection. A considerable number of our A-suppliers and also some B-suppliers have already signed this code, which underlines our commitment to ethics and sustainability in the supply chain.

Risk management

The risk management process at UZIN UTZ is handled via a project management tool and is an integral part of management. Globally defined "risk owners" enter their risks and the measures derived from them into this system. The respective risks are approved by the Managing Directors of the company and the Risk Manager after review.

Risk management at Uzin Utz SE comprises four steps:

A constantly updated risk catalog supports all risk owners at UZIN UTZ by ensuring that each company identifies certain core risks and takes appropriate measures. The risk management process is dynamic and is regularly reviewed and adapted to ensure that all UZIN UTZ companies can respond to potential risks and adapt to changing conditions.