Governance

Our guidelines in doing business

Our parent company has signed the UN Global Compact, a set of guidelines encouraging businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies. Ethical transactions, renouncing child labor and corruption, respecting human rights, providing good working conditions and paying fair wages, and caring for the environment are important elements of these guidelines.

Code of Conduct
The UN Global Compact is the starting point for our own Code of Conduct. This Code embodies our ethical principles and rules of behavior. All employees are expected to behave in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

The key points in our Code of Conduct are as follows:

Be concerned for safety, health and the environment
Comply with laws and government regulations
Conduct your business honestly and responsibly
Respect our employees and their individuality
Use company resources with care
Act positively as a company in the community

Exclusionary criteria
To aid our employees in their work and decisions, we have developed several exclusionary criteria that apply to any end products that contain our yarns and fibers, as well as to commercial trading partners.

We do not do business with:

Parties engaged in developing, making or distributing weapons specifically intended to destroy life, property or nature. This exclusionary criterion does not apply to countries that are members of NATO or their allies.
Organizations that have demonstrably or systematically violated the law, conventions, or codes of conduct, or that are involved in financial, environmental, and/or social scandals.
Organizations found guilty of using forced labor, child labor, or other violations of human rights, and organizations that demonstrably and systematically discriminate on the basis of race, gender, or religious belief, that demonstrably and systematically impede union activities, that allow their personnel to work in bad or unhealthy working conditions, or that underpay their personnel.
Organizations that use animal testing for the development of non-medical products when there are alternatives.
Dictatorial and oppressive regimes. Teijin Aramid subscribes to the guidelines as set out in Norms on the responsibility of transnational corporations and other business enterprises with regard to human rights (United Nations, 2003).

Suppliers
We also expect our suppliers to work in accordance with these guidelines. We ask our important suppliers of raw materials, additives, and technical materials to sign a CSR declaration. Signing this declaration indicates that they meet our standards for environmental management and ethics, which are based on the guidelines of the UN Global Compact and the International Labour Organization.

Relevant Committees

Works Council

For the Management Team of any company, it is essential to listen to the views and ideas of your employees. The Works Council (OR) is the official employee body in this regard.

Our Works Council (OR) consists of 16 members from all locations in the Netherlands. At our Wuppertal site, the Works Council (Betriebsrat) plays a similar role, but also serves as confidential advisor. In Wuppertal, the Works Council consists of five members.

Confidential advisors and Complaints Committee

In addition, Teijin Aramid has confidential advisors and a Complaints Committee. A confidential advisor is present at each site. Any complaint that has not been able to be resolved through discussion with a supervisor or confidential advisor can be submitted to the Complaints Committee. This committee deals with situations that can impede an employee’s work, such as discrimination, harassment or bullying, or conflicts at work. All complaints are handled in confidence under our complaints procedure. The Complaints Committee comprises nine employees from our three sites in the Netherlands. Membership of the committee is by invitation of the employer or the Works Council.

Ethics Committee

We encourage our employees to discuss any ethical dilemmas with their colleagues or supervisor. Within Teijin Aramid, we have an Ethics Committee that monitors compliance with the Code of Conduct. The members of this Committee have accepted a duty of confidentiality and can be approached anonymously. Serious dilemmas can be discussed with this committee.

SpeakUp Line

When none of the other reporting options seem safe enough, employees at any location can use the SpeakUp line to report an alleged violation anonymously. This anonymous message is sent to the chairman of the Ethics Committee, who subsequently deals with the message. The backlogging of the SpeakUp line makes it possible to include the reporter anonymously in the follow-up of the violation.

Supervisory Board

The Supervisory Board of Teijin Aramid supervises the policies of the Management Team (officially, “the Board of Directors”) and the company’s general state of affairs. Teijin Aramid is a full subsidiary of Teijin BV Holding Netherlands, which in turn is a full subsidiary of the Japan-based company, Teijin Ltd.

The composition of the Supervisory Board is as follows:

K. Kataoka – serving since April 1, 2017
President & CEO of Teijin Holdings Netherlands BV
M. Shimai – serving since April 1, 2017
General manager of Material Business Strategic Planning and Control Division
J.C. Breen (b. 1947) – serving since October 9, 2003
Member of the Supervisory Board of Van Leeuwen Buizen Groep B.V.
Chairman of the Supervisory Boards of Ahrend N.V. and Koninklijke Smilde B.V.
P.J.L. Stello – serving since April 1, 2017
Managing Director form the firm QEW, Engineered Rubber
R.E. Scholten (b. 1958) – serving since July 1, 2009
President of Toho-Tenax Europe GmbH

Mr. Stello was appointed in accordance with the standing rules upon his nomination by the Works Council (Ondernemingsraad, OR). He represents the Council and maintains contact with the Works Council members.

Mr. Breen and Mr. Stello together form the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee focuses on the reporting of our financials. They monitor the internal controls and meet once a year with our external auditor to discuss the results, guaranteeing the independence of the external auditor.