Implementation of the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains
To comply with our human rights and environmental due diligence obligations under the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz; LkSG), we have set up an appropriate risk management system in accordance with the LkSG. This is something we are gradually anchoring in all relevant business processes. Due to the planned lowering of the statutory threshold for the obligation to apply the LkSG from 3,000 to 1,000 employees as of January 1, 2024, a total of 25 Group companies (previous year: 16 Group companies) now fall within the scope of the LkSG.
We have defined clear responsibilities to ensure effective compliance with the LkSG. The central element of our LkSG risk management system is the regular and ad hoc performance of risk analyses.
The new Group Code of Conduct and the DB Code of Conduct for Business Partners, which we have adapted to the requirements of the LkSG, have been in force since the beginning of 2024. To take suitable preventive and corrective measures, we develop risk-based corrective action plans on a case-by-case basis using an overarching catalog of measures. Our current whistle-blower management system can be used for all LkSG topics, making it possible to report human rights-related and environmental risks as well as corresponding breaches of duty.