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Corporate Profile

Corporate strategy and guiding principles

  • Südzucker is Europe's leading supplier of sugar products and is well positioned in the special products, CropEnergies and fruit segments.
  • Our goal as a European corporation is to work in concert with our partners on responsibly shaping the future, based on a vision of continued sustainable, profitable growth and steadily rising shareholder value. At once we always taking into account the interests of shareholders, customers, suppliers, employees and future generations.
  • We aligned our business fields early with the rising demand for agricultural commodities, food, animal feed and energy. We want both our traditional sugar division and our other business operations to take advantage of the arising opportunities, either through organic growth, alliances or acquisitions.
  • The Südzucker Group relies on its close cooperation with the agricultural industry, the basis of its commodities, the group's in-house research expertise, its extensive manufacturing knowledge in connection with processing renewable raw materials and its marketing experience, particularly in the B2B area.
  • The success of our company is embodied and supported by the interdisciplinary competence, experience, social skills and commitment of our 17,900 employees world-wide. Personnel development and continuing education thus take center stage at Südzucker.
  • We create value that generates sustainable, rewarding corporate growth.

Code of conduct

This code of conduct is based on the values of the company. The purpose is to ensure that all employees, managers an executives within Südzucker AG Mannheim/Ochsenfurt, Mannheim, will live and act in accordance with these values and principles. The code is designed to give a broad and clear understanding of the conduct expected from all our employees everywhere we do business.
Südzucker AG is committed to conduct its business in an ethical, legal, and responsible manner. Südzucker AG, therefore, has established this Social Responsibility Code of Conduct as an application and is committed to ensuring that this code is respected in all its facilities, all over the world. Südzucker AG expects at the same time its suppliers and/or contractors to be in line with the requirements set by these policies. Recognized standards as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) or the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions were used as references in preparing this code1. The principles there below refer to these standards.
Legal compliance
All business activities of Südzucker AG must conform to all applicable national and international legal requirements and Südzucker AG standards pertaining to employment and manufacturing. Südzucker AG shall also comply with applicable anti-bribery/anti-corruption rules and regulations in all their business activities.
Prohibition of discrimination and harassment
Südzucker AG shall not engage in any discriminatory practices. Discrimination means any distinction, exclusion or preference limiting equality or opportunity of treatment in employment or occupation, which may be based on color, sex, religion, political opinion, age, national, social or ethnic origins, family obligations or any other considerations in this matter. Südzucker AG also commits to a workplace free of any kind of harassment.
Compensation & benefits
The company ensures that no wage is lower than the applicable legal minimum. Südzucker AG does not deduct or withhold pay for disciplinary reasons or force terms and conditions for employment. Compensation paid to employees shall comply with all applicable wage laws, including those relating to minimum wages, overtime hours and legally mandated benefits
Working hours
Südzucker AG ensures that applicable legal restrictions on working hours are met. The maximum allowable working hours in a week are as defined by national law and the corresponding standards of the International Labour Organisation. Overtime is restricted according to local legal and contractual obligations. Employees have at least one day off each week, apart from exceptional circumstances and for a limited period of time. The work organization provides for rest breaks as necessary, in order not to affect the safety and health of the employees.
Prohibition of child labour
Südzucker AG does not accept employment of children aged under 15, except where permitted by law but in no case below 14. If an applicable law sets a higher minimum working age or compulsory schooling is to a higher age than 15, it is this limit that applies. General educational and training programs followed by children in schools or other institutions are not included in this limitation. All young employees must be protected from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education or that may be harmful to the child’s health, physical, mental, social, spiritual or moral development.
Prohibition of forced labour
Südzucker AG does not use forced or compulsory labour, meaning all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily. Also retention of identity documents from personnel upon commencing employment is forbidden.
Freedom of association and collective bargaining
Südzucker AG recognizes and respects employees’ freedom of association and their right to freely choose their representatives and ensures that employee representatives do not suffer any discrimination. The company also recognizes employees’ right to collective bargaining.
Health & safety at work
The company ensures that the workplace and its environment (machinery, equipment and processes, chemical agents,…) do not endanger the physical integrity or health of employees. Action to reduce the causes of accidents and improve working conditions is the object of ongoing programs. Training related to safety and health in their work occupation is provided to employees. Employees must have access to drinking water, sanitary equipment and social rooms, built and maintained in accordance with applicable legal requirements. The workplace and environment has to provide for emergency exits, fire protection equipment and proper lighting. Additionally adequate protection for non-smokers has to be provided.
Environment
Procedures and standards for waste management, handling and disposal of chemicals and other dangerous materials, emissions and effluent treatment shall at least meet legal requirements or exceed them.
1 This  code is also based on the "Corporate social responsibility in the European sugar industry - Code of conduct (see www.cefs.org)