Ethics and Whistleblowing

Health and safety rules

Due to the nature of our business activity, the health and safety of our employees is of utmost concern to us. This is why Synthos pays a lot of attention to obeying existing health and safety rules, especially the prohibition of working under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicating substances. Our commitments also concern the safety of our customers and users of our products.

Anti-discrimination rules

We are committed to abide by the existing international standards on human rights and the fair treatment of all workers. It is unacceptable for us to discriminate on the basis of age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, nationality or ethnicity of our employees. All types of harassment are unacceptable and carry severe disciplinary consequences.

Equal treatment rules

All of our employees are hired and promoted on the basis of their individual abilities and professional achievements, and are treated in an equal and respectful manner. We commit ourselves to ensuring the continued development of our employees and broadening their skills and competencies for better performance. We build the loyalty of our employees based on satisfactory and decent working conditions.

Care for the workplace

We strive to provide comfortable and decent working conditions. All employees should take care of the cleanliness and order of the workspace, and abstain from any behaviour that may interfere with the work of co-workers.

Taking into account the nature and characteristics of the offered products, Synthos Group complies with all environmental rules and standards by reducing negative impact on the environment, and by the rational use of natural resources throughout the whole value chain. We act in accordance with administrative decisions marking the conditions for using natural resources. We have developed an effective Integrated Management System by making deep changes in our production and work organisation. To keep up with environmental requirements, we are constantly monitoring the impact of chemical production on the environment surrounding our company. We continually strive to improve our procedures and activities, aiming to increase efficiency in this area. We actively encourage our employees to support our efforts.

Synthos Group is an open and friendly company. In our work we rely on the principles of honesty, respect and responsibility; therefore we want to build and maintain lasting relationships with our local community. Supporting local initiatives and developing local communities is our duty and privilege.

A conflict of interest may occur when an employee uses his or her position at Synthos Group to obtain material or non-material personal benefits or if the employee’s personal interests are incompatible with his or her work duties or the Company’s business interests. Our employees are obliged to avoid all activities or links that are in conflict with the interests of the Group. Situations that may lead to actual or alleged conflicts of interest must be reported to your supervisor or an Ethics Commissioner, or you should consult with them. We particularly strive to apply the principles of independence in the recruitment process, or in the reward or promotion system of employees. Employment and promotion cannot be influenced by the relationship (both personal and business) of the candidate / employee with other people employed in the Company.

Our company respects the right of our employees, customers and suppliers to their privacy – their personal data and other private information. Personal data is processed in the Company in accordance with accepted standards and legal regulations. We protect our confidential information and information from our contractors with the utmost care. Our employees using social media sites should refrain from posting any information or material relating to the specific projects they are currently participating in or have participated in previously.

We are responsible for protecting the confidential information we receive, create or register in connection with our work. We commit not to use any relevant company information to gain personal profit or profit from third parties. “Relevant information” is any information that a potential investor may consider important when making investment decisions.

We believe that our company is our common good, so we are committed to protecting intellectual property, including our patents and know-how, trademarks, any copyrighted materials and products, and any material assets of the Company. We are also committed to using this property solely for business purposes related to the Company’s business. We commit ourselves to properly use the Company’s property and to treat it in accordance with the principles of respect, honesty, loyalty and solidarity. Any activity involving theft, fraud, embezzlement or misappropriation of Company property is unacceptable – both in respect of corporate and legal regulations.

We believe that building long-term relationships with our suppliers based on the highest ethical standards is crucial for the Company’s development and for building a reputation for our brand. Synthos Group respects the values of its business partners. As a company, we expect our suppliers and subcontractors to adhere to the laws and regulations of this Code of Ethics.

Code of Conduct for Business Partners

At the core of the Company’s business activity lies fair competition on all markets in which we operate. All employees are required to comply with current worldwide antitrust and competition laws. Synthos Group does not tolerate any understandings or arrangements between actual or potential competitors to determine and control prices, boycott specific suppliers or customers, and restrict production or sales of product lines.

In Synthos all business decisions are made honestly and reliably and are based on objective business criteria.

Receiving gifts from suppliers

To avoid potentially corrupting situations, employees of Synthos Group are required to act in accordance with the adopted standards, procedures and guidelines. They are not allowed to accept gifts or favours, except for customarily acceptable small advertising materials from contractors (calendars, notepads, memory sticks – with the contractor’s logo/trademark). Any gifts, irrespective of their value, that do not meet these criteria shall be without delay returned to the sender. Employees of Synthos Group shall not accept invitations to non-business meetings organised, financed or sponsored by the contractors, that would make us feel obliged to treat our business partners favourably.

Giving gifts to external parties

We respect our partners’ anti-corruption policies. We do not make any offers or give presents which would make our business partners treat us favourably; in particular we do not give any presents, commissions or make any improper payments to representatives of government offices, civil service or any other stakeholders in order to make a business impact on them. If our partners discourage or prohibit their employees from accepting presents, invitations to entertainment events or other forms of gifts, our employees should respect such a policy.

All transactions executed by our employees are fully documented and recorded in the accounting records. We put a lot of effort into giving true statements and making the correct entries in the relevant documentation. We maintain the funds and property of the Company solely for legitimate and proper purposes. Our reports, documents or financial reports submitted to the competent authorities or published for the general public are prepared in accordance with the applicable reporting standards and with due diligence. This means that they are reliable, understandable and timely.