Compliance

Our company considers it to be of key importance that all decisions are in harmony with legislation as well as with internal rules and values. The Code of Conduct, which is valid throughout the Group, serves as the basis here. It sets down the key principles that apply to day-to-day work at our company and offers guidance and advice. The Code of Conduct applies throughout the Group and is binding for everyone, irrespective of their hierarchical level: All employees are obligated to act in accordance with these guiding principles. Training on the Code of Conduct helps to establish a uniform awareness throughout the company and sharpen the sensitization for the responsibility of each individual.

The Code of Conduct for business partners of the Volkswagen Group summarizes the expectations in terms of attitude and conduct that we place on our partners, in particular our suppliers and sales partners. It refers to respecting human rights, complying with occupational health and safety, environmental protection and anti-corruption. We thereby set high standards not only internally, but also endeavor to uphold our values and principles along the entire value chain as well.

An effective Compliance Management System helps to establish principles, measures, processes and structures permanently and counteracts systematic misconduct in order to protect our company. This includes risk management (recording and assessing compliance risks in the company), monitoring compliance measures and risk prevention in compliance-related focus topics such as anti-corruption, prevention of money laundering and upholding human rights by means of consulting and training.

A Whistleblower System that deals with severe regulatory and statutory violations has also been installed. It gives employees, business partners, customers and other third parties who have identified a concrete indication of regulatory violations the possibility to submit reports around the clock and in all languages via various media channels.