Responsibility

The principles of honourable merchants have remained relevant over the centuries – today they have simply taken on modern forms. At their core lie sustainable business practices and corporate social responsibility.

As an owner-managed family business, we uphold recognised family values and the principles of the honourable merchant. We actively work to identify, mitigate and prevent the potential impact of our business activities on the environment, society and human rights.

Our fundamental approach to conducting business and fulfilling our social responsibility is outlined in our USD Code of Conduct.

It provides the framework for all our activities in the areas of sustainability, compliance and social responsibility. We encourage and expect our employees, customers, suppliers and other business partners to uphold these principles within their sphere of influence, to embody them personally and to take responsibility for them. Employees and business partners are urged to report, at an early stage, any behaviour that contravenes the principles set out in the Code of Conduct.

Current measures:

• Ongoing development of the existing environmental management system
• Use of renewable energy at all three sites through construction to modern energy standards and energy-efficient refurbishment of existing buildings
• Electrification of the fleet through conversion of initial company vehicles to electric cars
• Shipment consolidation by reducing mileage to lower CO₂ emissions
• Avoidance of single-use packaging and, where possible, use of reusable returnable containers
• Legal register and sanctions list screening
• Operation of a whistleblower portal
• Preparation of voluntary sustainability reports
• Voluntary preparation of sustainability reports and carbon footprint assessments