Policy statement on our human rights strategy pursuant to Section 6 of the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains

We are aware of our role in society and our responsibility towards business partners, members and employees alike, and we act sustainably. Against this background, we contribute to solving societal issues, minimising environmental impact, conserving resources, promoting environmental protection and the well-being of the community. This is not only in the interest of our own sustainable success; we also play an active and valuable role within international, national, regional and local communities.

We support the United Nations Global Compact, and in particular the fundamental principles it sets out on human rights, labour standards and environmental protection. To meet these commitments, we are guided by the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and Germany’s 2016 National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights.

We are committed to responsible, sustainable business practices and support the implementation of internationally recognised principles on human rights, fair working conditions and environmental protection, both within our organisation and among our business partners. We expect our employees and business partners to respect and comply with human and labour rights in their business activities.

Responsibilities

Our Executive Board is responsible for reviewing compliance with and implementation of our human-rights-related due diligence obligations. Risk management is monitored on its behalf by our Human Rights Officer. We have also set up a 'Due Diligence Obligations Task Force', which convenes in the event of serious actual or imminent breaches of due diligence obligations under the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz; LkSG), in order to examine and decide on appropriate remedial measures. Risk analyses and the implementation of preventive and remedial measures are carried out by our relevant specialist departments in close cooperation with our Human Rights Officer.

Whistleblowing and complaints procedure

We have set up a freely accessible whistleblower system through which employees and third parties can report, at any time, human-rights-related or environmental risks, as well as violations of human-rights-related or environmental obligations caused by us or by our direct or indirect business partners.

Complaints can be submitted to sorgfaltspflichten@dlr.de or reported via the web-based whistleblowing system.

A detailed description of the complaints procedure can be found here. We review the effectiveness of the complaints procedure on an annual basis.

Risk analysis

In order to review the impact of our activities on human rights, we carried out an abstract risk analysis for the first time in 2022, covering human rights and ecologically relevant aspects across our business area and the business partners relevant to us under the LkSG. The aim of this risk analysis is to identify possible human-rights-related risk topics in a structured manner and to prioritise areas where potentially high risks are identified.

Building on the abstract risk analysis, we carry out IT-supported concrete risk analyses annually and as needed.

Measures

Based on the results of the risk analyses, we derive specific measures to reduce and avert the potential risks identified, adapt our processes accordingly to take these risks into account, and raise awareness among both employees and business partners, as needed and in a targeted manner, about these risks and the countermeasures in place.

Specific measures include, for example, contractual assurances from business partners that the LkSG requirements are being complied with and addressed along the supply chain, or sending questionnaires to business partners for whom an increased risk was identified during the risk analysis. Further specific measures are based on the requirements of the LkSG and follow a tiered model. The lowest tier of measures involves informing business partners of a corresponding risk classification, while the highest tier involves terminating the business relationship with business partners.

Supplementary documents