Grievances with regard to
human rights and environment

Our grievance procedure is a core element of our due diligence process and a central pillar for us to permanently anchor human rights and environmental protection in our own business and our supply chains. We expect our employees and business partners to act responsibly and in compliance with the law.

In our Code of Conduct for employees and our Supplier Code of Conduct for business partners, we have formulated concrete and binding requirements that are based in particular on the following standards and guidelines:  

  • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN) 
  • The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child  
  • The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises 
  • The International Labor Organization (ILO) Conventions and Recommendations on Labor and Social Standards (ILO)
  • The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights  

We are aware that ethical standards expressed in local regulations vary from country to country. If the regulations of our Code of Conduct or international laws and conventions differ from local regulations, the stricter regulation always applies.

The detailed Rules of Procedure regarding grievances can be found here:

Report violations

All violations of the above guidelines and principles by Tchibo’s employees can be reported to Tchibo.

Violations that were not caused by the Tchibo directly, but by an indirect or direct supplier, can and should also be reported to Tchibo.

The following channels are available for this purpose:

Grievance Office

Grievances can be sent directly to the Grievance Office:
• by e-mail to: socialcompliance@tchibo.de
• by mail to Tchibo GmbH, Corporate Responsibility, Beschwerde-Stelle, Überseering 18, D-22297 Hamburg/Germany.

Digital whistleblowing system

Grievances can be submitted by the digital whistleblowing system BKMS which can be reached via this link: bkms-system.com/tchibo-en

Grievances received via the digital whistleblowing system are forwarded to the Complaints Office by the Compliance Committee of Tchibo.

WE facilitators, local employees and service providers contracted by the Company

Within the framework of the WE program, factory workers have contact with moderators from the Company WE program, and local Company employees and employees of service providers commissioned by the Company also have contact with factory workers and farmers. These groups of people also receive complaints and then forward them to the Grievance Office for processing.

Networks 

Company participates in the ACT (Action Collaboration Transformation) and Accord (Agreement for Fire Protection and Building Safety) initiatives. Grievances can also be submitted through these networks. Tchibo recommends that potential complainants use these channels especially when multiple companies are involved.

Grievances related to our coffee origins can also be filed through the Ear4U procedure of the German Coffee Association (DKV), in which Tchibo participates . The managing organization of the grievance procedure Global Risk Assessment Services GmbH (GRAS) forwards the grievance after an initial review to the companies concerned for processing and initiation of corrective measures.

We encourage all persons who become aware of grievances at the Tchibo, a subsidiary or a direct or indirect supplier to place a grievance!