The whistleblower system offers KNAPP the opportunity to become aware of potential grievances and to remedy them at an early stage. For employees and other authorized persons, such a system offers a platform for pointing out possible grievances, both large and small.

It is important that potential whistleblowers can do this in a protected and confidential environment. Confidentiality, secrecy on the part of the case officer and protection of the whistleblower’s identity are provided for by law.

Which suspected cases of legal violations can be reported?
In accordance with the legal requirements, (substantiated) suspicions of breaches of the following areas of law in particular fall within the scope of the whistleblower system:

• Public procurement,
• Financial services, financial products and financial markets as well as the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing,
• Product safety and conformity,
• Road safety,
• Environmental protection,
• Radiation protection and nuclear safety,
• Food and feed safety, animal health and animal welfare,
• public health,
• Consumer protection,
• Protection of privacy and personal data as well as security of network and information systems.

In addition, possible violations of other areas of law, such as corruption offenses, may fall within the scope of application, insofar as the applicable national law provides for this.

Possible violations of the KNAPP Code of Conduct can also be reported via the whistleblower system.

 

Who is entitled to report and to legal protection when submitting the report?
Whistleblowers who obtain information about violations in a professional context. These include (former) employees, applicants, volunteers, interns, self-employed persons, management and supervisory bodies as well as (sub)contractors and suppliers.

KNAPP has set up the e-mail address whistleblowing@knapp.com. It is also possible to submit comments via the following platform. All reports will be treated confidentially in accordance with legal requirements. Documents can and should also be uploaded to substantiate possible grievances. Whistleblowers must note the 16-digit code when submitting reports via the platform in order to be contacted, unless they have provided other contact options.

The submission of a report does not entail any consequences as long as, at the time of the report, there were reasonable grounds to believe, based on the actual circumstances and the information available, that the information was true. Under these conditions, whistleblowers enjoy legal protection.

Knowingly providing false information can result in fines and, under certain circumstances, further official or legal proceedings.

Seven days after submitting your report at the latest, we will send you a confirmation of receipt.

When submitting your report via our online platform, you will receive a confirmation receipt number. With this number, you can access, correct and add more information to your submitted report at any time.

Three months after the submission of your report at the latest, we will notify you about the progress of the investigation (inquiries and assessments) and its results or inform you about the reasons why we will not pursue the subject any further.