We maintain fair, quality- and cost-optimized business relationships with our suppliers and unlock potential together. In addition to commercial 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 emphasize the importance of preventing corruption and complying with antitrust regulations.

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. Strict adherence to the aforementioned guideline is continuously monitored by a supporting reporting tool, the "Compliance Checker".

The Whistleblower Protection Act came into force in Germany on July 2, 2023. UZIN UTZ had already proactively implemented a whistleblower system, which was introduced at the end of 2021, to guarantee the highest possible transparency and security. This system makes it possible to report potential compliance violations - anonymously if desired - via an ombudsman, who then forwards them to the internal compliance office. The whistleblower system is established throughout the group and is also available to external third parties.

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 labor, respect human rights and the protection of personal data, actively combat 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 carried out using a project management tool and is a central component of corporate management. Globally responsible "Risk Owner" record risks and corresponding measures in this system. The Management Board and the Risk Manager review and approve these entries.

Risk management at UZIN UTZ comprises four steps:

A constantly updated risk catalog supports all "Risk Owner" 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.