Hornbach-Baumarkt-AG Group

22 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Our system of values: the HORNBACH foundation
HORNBACH is a forward-looking, family-managed company
and is characterized by a clear system of values. The values
on which this system is based are honesty, credibility, reliability,
clarity and trust in people. This system of values, which
had already been lived over many decades, was summarized
in the so-called “HORNBACH foundation” in 2004. This model
forms the cornerstone for our corporate strategy, everyday
behavior, and responsibility towards society. It lays down the
basic values governing how we behave towards our customers,
as well how our employees behave towards each other. Moreover,
this foundation helps our shareholders, customers and
the general public, as well as our employees, to understand
what the basis of our business success is [ Internet:
www.hornbach-group.com/Fundament ].
Compliance with social, safety, and environmental standards
The development of company guidelines governing minimum
social standards, environmental protection, product safety
and equality of opportunities forms an integral component of
our corporate policy, as does monitoring compliance with such.
Within our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) framework,
we have issued group-wide guidelines to ensure that HORN-
BACH meets its responsibilities towards individuals, society
at large and the environment [ Internet: www.hornbachgroup.com/CSR-Guidelines
]. The CSR guidelines cover four
areas of responsibility:
• Minimum social standards: In our procurement activities
we ensure that acceptable minimum social standards are
complied with in the manufacture of our products. We base
our standards here on the conventions of the International
Labor Organization (ILO). With the assistance of standardized
factory audits and targeted checks on location, we are
actively working to ensure compliance with these standards.
These efforts are continuing to focus above all on
direct imports from non-EU countries. We are endeavoring
to make sure that a continuously higher share of our suppliers
and upstream suppliers commit to these regulations.
• Rainforest protection: In our procurement of timber and
related products we ensure that the timber is cultivated
and felled in accordance with generally accepted rules,
especially those governing rainforest protection. For all
timber products sold by HORNBACH we make sure that the
timber does not stem from forest depletion, but rather from
sustainable forestry and that social welfare and occupational
safety standards are adhered to in the timber production
process. To this end, we work together with WWF
Woodgroup and other environmental protection organizations,
such as Greenpeace, Robin Wood etc. HORNBACH
currently stocks around 4,500 articles bearing the Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) seal for sustainable forestry. We
only offer FSC-certified tropical woods.
• Product safety: We guarantee to our customers that all of
our products meet the utmost safety standards. Within the
framework of an ongoing multistage process to assure the
quality and audit the safety of its products, the company
ensures that all DIY products sold at HORNBACH are fully
functional and do not involve any health risks. These
checks are performed by employees in HORNBACH’s quality
management department with support from internationally
certified inspection institutes. Alongside extensive product
tests (initial sample inspections), the company focuses on
auditing suppliers in the country of manufacture. The
quality controllers also audit environmental and social
welfare standards at the factories. This way, we ensure
that no forced labor or child labor is involved in the production
of our merchandise. Not only that, we also perform
random checks to audit compliance with strict quality
standards along the entire procurement chain – from production
via transport to sale at our stores.
• Equality of opportunity (diversity): We ensure that our
employees enjoy equal opportunities. We consistently oppose
any kind of discrimination. HORNBACH is committed
to promoting a liberal and open society based on shared
values both within and outside the company. It is in this
spirit that we also signed the corporate “Diversity Charter”
initiated by the Federal Government in 2008 and have