Privacy policy
We take data protection and confidentiality very seriously and adhere to the provisions of the EU´s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as well as current national data protection regulations. Please read this data protection information carefully before submitting a report.
Purpose and legal basis of the whistleblowing system
The WACKER Whistleblowing System serves the purpose of securely and confidentially receiving, processing and managing reports concerning violations of the WACKER compliance rules. The processing of personal data within the framework of the WACKER Whistleblowing System is based on the justified interest of our company in discovering and preventing abuses and thereby averting damage to WACKER, its employees and customers. The legal basis for the processing of personal data is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
Responsible parties
The parties responsible for data protection in the whistleblowing system are
- Wacker Chemie AG and
- its subsidiaries
as parties with mutually autonomous responsibility (also referred to hereinafter as: “WACKER”). The whistleblowing system is operated by a specialized company, EQS Group GmbH, Bayreuther Str. 35, 10789 Berlin, Germany, on behalf of WACKER.
Personal data and information entered into the whistleblowing system are stored in a database operated by EQS Group GmbH in a high-security data center. Only WACKER employees can see the data. EQS Group GmbH and other third parties do not have access to the data. This is ensured in the certified procedure through extensive technical and organizational measures.
All data is stored encrypted with multiple levels of password protection according to a system of permissions so that access is restricted to a very small selection of expressly authorized persons at WACKER.
WACKER has appointed a data protection officer. Inquiries regarding data protection at WACKER can be sent to privacy@wacker.com.
Type of collected personal data
Use of the whistleblowing system takes place on a voluntary basis. If you submit a report via the whistleblowing system, we collect the following personal data and information:
- Your name, if you choose to reveal your identity
- Whether you are employed at WACKER
- The names and other personal data of persons whom you list in your report, if applicable
Confidential handling of reports
Incoming reports are received by a small group of expressly authorized and specially trained employees from the WACKER compliance organization; these reports are always handled confidentially. WACKER´s compliance team evaluates the matter and, where applicable, investigates the specific case further.
Whenever a report is being processed or a special investigation is being conducted, it may be necessary to share reports with additional WACKER employees or employees at other Group companies, e.g. if the reports refer to incidents in subsidiaries. The latter may be based in countries outside the European Union or the European Economic Area with different regulations about the protection of personal data. We will always ensure that the applicable data protection regulations are complied with when sharing reports.
All persons who receive access to the data are obligated to maintain confidentiality.
Information about the accused
We are legally obligated to inform accused parties of any reports received against them as soon as the disclosure of this information no longer jeopardizes the investigation. Your identity as a whistleblower will not be disclosed unless we are legally bound to do so.
Rights of the data subjects
Pursuant to European data protection legislation, you and the persons named in the report have a right of access, rectification, erasure and restriction of processing and a right to object to the processing of your personal data. If the right to object to the processing of the personal data is exercised, the necessity of the stored data for the examination of a report will be evaluated immediately. Data that is no longer needed will be deleted at once. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority.
Retention period of personal data
Personal data is retained for as long as necessary to clarify the situation and perform a final assessment or for as long as a legitimate interest exists on the part of the company or retention is required by law. After the report processing is concluded, the data will be deleted in accordance with statutory requirements.
Use of the whistleblowing system
Communication between your computer and the whistleblowing system takes place via an encrypted connection (SSL). Your IP address will not be stored during your use of the whistleblowing system. In order to maintain the connection between your computer and the WACKER Whistleblowing System, a cookie is stored on your computer that merely contains the session ID (a so-called session cookie). This cookie is only valid until the end of your session and expires when you close your browser.
It is possible to set up a secured postbox within the whistleblowing system with an individually chosen pseudonym/user name and password. This allows you to send reports to the WACKER employee responsible in a particular case either by name or in an anonymous, secure way. This system only stores data inside the whistleblowing system, which makes it particularly secure. It is not a form of regular email communication.
Note on sending attachments
When submitting a report or an addition, you can simultaneously send attachments to the WACKER employee in charge. If you wish to submit an anonymous report, please take note of the following security advice: Files may contain hidden personal data that could jeopardize your anonymity. Please remove all such information before sending a file. If you are unable to remove this data or are uncertain about how to do so, copy the text of your attachment into your report text or send the printed document anonymously to the address listed in the footer, citing the reference number received at the end of the reporting process.
Version: August 2021
