Code of Conduct

As a social enterprise, share bears and assumes responsibility. In addition to transparency, this includes responsibility toward employees, the environment and economic activity. We demand the same from our suppliers.

A. General information

As a social enterprise, share bears and assumes responsibility. In addition to transparency, this includes responsibility toward employees, the environment and economic activity. We demand the same from our suppliers.

This code of conduct defines standards for fair, safe and non-harmful working conditions, environmental protection and compliance with sustainable competition, including in the supply chains. share takes its lead from the requirements of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), among other things. Suppliers, their sub-suppliers and all other companies involved in the supply chain should observe these requirements. We use the Code of Conduct to encourage our contractual partners to continuously improve occupational and environmental conditions.

1. Compliance We expect our suppliers to comply with all relevant and applicable laws and regulations of the country where their employees work, including those at federal, state/provincial and local community level, our Code of Conduct and, where applicable, collective-bargaining agreements. The supplier agrees to grant the right to audit to share and third parties commissioned by share.

2. Transparency share and our suppliers are jointly responsible for ensuring the social and environmental responsibility and integrity of our product content commitment from the farm to the finished goods factory. The only way to achieve this goal is through transparency and traceability at all levels of our supply chain. share requires its suppliers to map and continuously track and monitor all sites at all levels of their supply chain and to provide transparency information about their own and/or subcontracted farms, mills, plants, factories and other sites involved in the production of our products upon request and to agree to an unannounced audit at the respective facility.

3. Disclosure All suppliers are required to post information on social standards and codes of conduct, as well as a separate complaints phone number/email, in a prominent location frequented by all employees, in the local languages spoken by employees, supervisors and managers; provide annual documented training to inform current and new employees about the standards and codes of conduct and ways to use the complaints phone number/email.

B. Social responsibility

1. Child labor No person who is under the age of 15 or who is under the age for completing compulsory education, whichever is higher, may be employed. Young employees (aged 15 to 17) may not carry out any work that, due to its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, could endanger their health, safety or morals. (ILO Convention 138 and 182)

2. Forced labor No forced labor shall be used, including prison, compulsory, debt bondage, slave or other forms of forced labor. Acts of human trafficking are also prohibited. Suppliers are required to monitor all third-party companies that assist them in recruiting or hiring employees to ensure that individuals seeking employment at their facilities are not being forced to work as a result of violence, deception, intimidation, coercion or as punishment for advocating or expressing political views. (ILO Conventions 29, 105, 182)

3. Freedom of association Employees must have the right to join organizations of their choice. Suppliers must recognize and respect the right of employees to freedom of association and collective bargaining. All suppliers must develop and fully implement effective grievance mechanisms that resolve internal labor disputes and employee complaints and ensure effective, respectful and transparent communication among employees, their representatives and management. (ILO Conventions 87, 98 and 135)

4. Regulated working hours, regularity of the employment relationship and remuneration Suppliers may not require their employees to work more than the regular working hours and overtime permitted by the laws of the country in which they are employed. The regular workweek may not exceed 48 hours or the maximum working time permitted under the law of the country of manufacture, whichever is lower. The employer must grant employees at least 24 consecutive hours of rest in each seven-day period. All overtime must be worked by mutual agreement. The employer may not regularly demand overtime. The sum of regular working hours and overtime in a week must not exceed 60 hours or the maximum permitted by law in the country of manufacture, whichever is lower. (ILO Convention 1)

5. Wages and benefits We look for and give preference to suppliers that gradually raise the standard of living of employees through improved wage systems, social benefits, welfare programs and other services that go beyond legal requirements and improve the quality of life. Every employee has the right to remuneration for a regular workweek that is sufficient to meet the basic needs of the employee and their family and to earn a certain amount of disposable income. Employers must pay wages that are at least equal to the minimum wage or the appropriate prevailing wage, whichever is higher, meet all legal requirements for wages and provide all legally and/or contractually mandated fringe benefits. (ILO Conventions 26 and 131)

6. Remuneration for overtime In addition to compensation for regular working hours, employees must be compensated for overtime at the rate prescribed by law in the country of manufacture or, in countries where such laws do not exist, at a rate that exceeds the regular hourly rate by at least 125%. (ILO Conventions 1 and 30)

7. Health and safety Suppliers shall provide a safe and healthy workplace to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, connected with or occurring in the course of work or operation of the employer's facilities. The employer must take a proactive approach to health and safety by implementing policies, systems and training designed to prevent accidents and injuries and protect the health of employees. (ILO Convention 155)

8. Discrimination No person shall be discriminated against in any aspect of employment, including recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits, job assignments, access to training, promotion, discipline, termination or retirement, religious creed, color, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identification, physical or mental disability, medical condition, disease, genetic characteristics, family care status, marital status, status as a veteran or qualified disabled veteran (U.S. only), caste, socioeconomic status, political opinion, union affiliation, ethnic group, medical condition or any other classification protected by applicable law. All employment decisions must be based on the principle of equal opportunity in employment and include effective mechanisms to protect migrant, temporary or seasonal workers from any form of discrimination. (ILO Conventions 100, 111)

9. Harassment, abuse and disciplinary practices Every employee is to be treated with respect and dignity. No employee may be physically, sexually, psychologically or verbally harassed or abused or suffer fines or embarrassment as a disciplinary measure.

10. Data protection European suppliers must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679. Suppliers from third countries must comply with these regulations. In particular, a high priority should be attached to protecting employee data, e.g., secure storage of personal data.

C. Social responsibility

1. Standards & laws Sustainable business practices and environmental protection are part of our corporate values, and we expect the same from our business partners. Our partners are committed to environmental and climate protection and meet applicable environmental standards. In addition, effective measures should be taken that reflect these partners’ responsibility for the environment and avoid or compensate for externalities as far as possible. For this reason, we require our partners to develop written environmental policies and standards that reflect applicable environmental laws and take a progressive approach to minimizing negative impacts on the environment. Compliance with these standards and guidelines must be documented at regular intervals.

2. Additional measures Monitoring: Factories must continuously monitor and disclose their consumption of energy and natural resources, emissions, discharges, carbon footprint and disposal of waste and take a progressive approach to minimize negative impacts on the environment.

3. Animal welfare Suppliers must respect animal welfare and progressively work toward adopting healthy and humane practices toward animals based on the best available technology and standards.

D. Economic responsibility

1. Anti-corruption The supplier shall express its agreement with the following anti-corruption requirements. The legally binding universal instrument for combating corruption is the U.N. Convention Against Corruption. The convention’s far-reaching approach and the binding nature of many of its provisions make it a unique instrument for developing a comprehensive response to a global problem.

2. Competition All employees and business partners are fully committed to fair competition and comply with the laws against restrictions on competition in all countries where they do business. Any arrangements and agreements with competitors that restrict or hinder competition are prohibited. Corresponding prohibitions under competition law shall also apply to customers, suppliers and other business partners. Furthermore, any dominant market position of a business partner must not be abused in order to influence competition. Confidential or sensitive information must be treated with care at all times and may not be shared with third parties without consent.

3. Subcontracting share does not permit subcontracting without our prior written consent. All vendor sample and bulk production orders must be placed in facilities that have been pre-approved by share, without exception. Direct suppliers are required to continuously check approved subcontractors and subsuppliers for social and environmental responsibility.