Minimum safeguards

The minimum safeguards are based on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Fundamental Conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Bill of Human Rights. Our assessments confirm that we met the requirements of the minimum safeguards in the reporting year.

As a business with a global presence, the Volkswagen Group accepts its corporate responsibility for human rights, fully recognizes these conventions and declarations and reaffirms its agreement with the contents and principles stated therein. The Volkswagen Group appointed a Human Rights Officer in 2022, whose duties relate primarily to monitoring, checking and advising within the meaning of the Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz (LkSG – German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act).

The LkSG imposes certain due diligence obligations designed to avoid risks associated with human rights and the environment. These obligations include the performance of risk analyses, the integration of preventive measures, remedial actions and the provision of a complaints mechanism. The whistleblower system is the central point of contact for reporting cases of infringements by employees of the Volkswagen Group or by suppliers. The department responsible immediately and autonomously initiates any appropriate remedial action required.

The Volkswagen Group assesses whether the actions taken are effective in avoiding or reducing negative impacts on a regular and ad hoc basis in what is known as compliance monitoring. This also includes checking whether the Code of Conduct is being complied with and whether complaints have been dealt with.

The Code of Conduct forms the ethical and values-based foundation for integrity and compliance in the Volkswagen Group. It consists of a set of binding guidelines for all employees in all brands and companies. Furthermore, Group policies provide the companies controlled by the Volkswagen Group with an organizational framework with regard to integrity and compliance in HR tools, actions and processes, and take local legal, collective-bargaining and operational regulations into account when implementing these.

Our relationships with our business partners are regulated among other things by the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Business Partners. For the supply chain, these requirements are implemented and monitored within a comprehensive management system (Responsible Supply Chain System) that covers our due diligence duties in respect of human rights and the environment.