Hornbach-Baumarkt-AG Group

GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT Corporate Responsibility 65
of ombudsman. His job is to listen to both sides, moderate
and if possible solve the problem without this resulting in any
disadvantage for the employee. This point of contact is used
by employees from across the Group and has met with high
acceptance levels.
Responsibility for society
Focus on children and young people
One particular sign of our social responsibility towards our
employees was the establishment in 2002 of the HORNBACH
Foundation "People in Need". This has since offered assistance
in cases of fatality, accidents and severe illness. Employees
in turn document their solidarity with the Foundation
with their "Employees help Employees" campaign, in which
HORNBACH-Baumarkt-AG doubles the donations collected.
Moreover, the Foundation is also a contact point for people
outside the company who are in situations of dire need. All in
all, the Foundation supported 106 individuals with a total of
more than € 155,000 in the year under report.
However, our commitment to society is by no means limited to
the work performed by the Foundation. HORNBACH supports
the work of many local associations and organizations at our
locations. When selecting projects, priority is generally accorded
to projects benefiting children and young people.
Environmental protection and heritage conservation are two
other areas in which the company is active to the benefit of
society.
As a member of the Rhine/Neckar European Metropolitan
Region, our Group is promoting academic excellence in the
region. HORNBACH-Baumarkt-AG has thus continued to support
a research project at the German Cancer Research Center
(DKFZ) in Heidelberg with € 100,000 a year. HORNBACH Immobilien
AG also supports the project with a donation of the
same amount. Among other measures, this has facilitated the
research carried out by a young female scientist of international
standing.
Compliance with minimum social standards
For more than ten years now, HORNBACH has voluntarily
ensured that minimum social standards are complied with
at factories producing goods for the company. To this end,
HORNBACH commissions independent audit institutes to
check and evaluate factories’ compliance with international
standards at regular intervals. The institutes audit and
assess aspects such as child labor, inhumane working
conditions, inadequate safety standards, e.g. too small
escape routes or inadequate fire protection, as well as
compliance with local legislation and the suitability of
accommodation.
No products from child labor
Over and above this, our basic rules of social responsibility
include recognizing the international standards set out in the
conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO). The
company thus only procures its products from factories meeting
minimum standards, such as exclusion of child and forced
labor, no intimidation of employees through maltreatment or
verbal threats, no depositing of ID papers with employers,
adherence to work safety regulations, and compliance with
environmental legislation. Where accommodation is provided,
it must be located outside production and materials storage
areas. Suppliers have to ensure that these standards are also
met by their upstream suppliers. Compliance with these
regulations is checked with annual factory audits.