The Certy Code of Integrity has been approved by our Board of Directors and the Operations Council. It applies to all of our employees, officers and directors, and our affiliated companies.
All aspects of the Code which are not specifically related to our employees must also be adhered to by contractors, consultants, freelancers, joint-venture partners, agents, subcontractors, and anyone acting on behalf of, or representing, SGS.
The Code defines the main principles of professional integrity and is an expression of the values that are shared throughout SGS, our various businesses, and our affiliates. Referring to it should help anyone acting for SGS to make the correct decisions while carrying out their work.
Integrity at Certy
Integrity lies at the heart of SGS. The trust that we inspire in our customers and stakeholders is the key to our success as an organization and as individuals.
As leaders in our industry, we hold ourselves to the highest standard of professional behavior. The SGS Code of Integrity defines the main principles of professional integrity for the SGS Group and is an expression of the values that are shared throughout our organization, our businesses and our affiliates.
We are committed to a culture in which issues of integrity and professional ethics can be raised and discussed openly. Guidance and support is available to assist employees and other stakeholders acting on behalf of, or representing our organization to understand the Code and to help them make the right decision when faced with an ethical dilemma.
Integrity, compliance, and legal affairs
Integrity, compliance, and legal affairs are of great strategic significance for our company. As firm elements of our corporate culture and daily business activities, integrity and compliance contribute to the company’s lasting success. The basis for this is our Integrity Code. It defines guidelines for our daily business conduct, offers the employees orientation, and helps them make the right decisions even in difficult business situations. The Integrity Code is supplemented by other internal principles and guidelines.
A culture of integrity. Together with passion, discipline and respect, integrity is one of the four corporate values that form the foundation for our business activities. For us, integrity means doing the right thing. More specifically, we adhere to internal and external regulations, we act in accordance with our corporate values and we listen to our inner compass. We are deliberate in making difficult decisions and we also openly address critical issues. We expect all of our employees and business partners to adhere to the principles of our culture of integrity out of a sense of conviction.
Value-based compliance. Compliance is an indispensable part of our daily business activities. For us, this means acting in accordance with laws and regulations. All of our employees should carry out their work in a manner that is in compliance with the applicable laws, regulations, voluntary commitments, and our values. With our comprehensive training, we want to ensure that our employees act with integrity and compliance in the long run. Our independent legal and compliance organizations support and provide advice on this. To detect any violations of our principles, we encourage our employees and external parties to report concrete indications of misconduct to our Whistleblower System Business Practices Office (BPO). Compliance and integrity are also incorporated into our compensation and sanction processes. We collaborate closely with our business partners to make integrity and compliance an integral part of their company’s activities.