Code of Responsible Conduct for Business

In 2008, the Wittenberg Center launched the initiative "Investing in Trust" as a response to a loss of trust in market economy system, in businesses corporations and it's decision makers. In cooperation with representatives from companies, politics, science, churches, trade unions and nongovernmental organizations the Center elaborates on the questions of how responsibility in business can be put into practice and made visible in a competitive market economy.

In the course of this dialogue process an initiative of companies was created which developed the "Code of Responsible Conduct for Business". This Code was signed initially by the Heads of 21 leading German companies e.g. Josef Ackermann (Deutsche Bank), Jürgen Hambrecht (BASF) and Hermann Scholl (Bosch) and presented to the public on 25th November 2010. Since then, further companies joined the initiative so that up to now 40 corporations have expressed their commitment to the Code of Responsible Conduct .

Previously, managers from the participating enterprises had gathered in several workshops led by the Wittenberg Center in order to discuss principles of responsible action and areas of conflict in business practice. The initiative's explicit claim is to establish practicable and verifiable standards across all levels of the companies. This is the reason why the Statement – in contrast to similar initiatives - takes up controversial issues such as business profits, job cuts and managerial salaries. For it is conflicts that principles of conduct must be applied to and be proven relevant for. Otherwise, they were not practicable but mere "cheap talk". By signing the Code of Conduct the leading economic representatives are sending out two clear signals:

• Business and ethics are not necessarily opposing forces. On the contrary: Business efficiency alone is not enough to lead a company to success. Rather values such as quality, integrity, reputation and trust are essential preconditions for sustainable economic success. If a company is lacking their trust, it will hardly find clients, employees and partners. This is the message that the signees of the Statement wish to send out to future generations of managers.
• Decision makers in industry have an impact on the trust vested in the economy and society as a whole. This is why the CEOs and managing directors commit themselves to personally live up to the standards and positions put down in the Statement. 
  

Reliability is decisive for the initiative's long-term success. It is first and foremost in difficult situations that companies have to put their words to the test. During the economic crisis, the principles of the Statement have proven to be effective: the participating corporations mastered the difficulties relatively successfully not least because they adhered to the positions settled in the Statement. They did not cut jobs where possible. This fare-sighted way of acting and smooth cooperation with workers' representatives came to bear in the successive phase of economic recovery.

The signatories to the Code of Responsible Conduct for Business:

• Ackermann, Dr. Josef: Chief Executive Officer Deutsche Bank AG
• Behrendt, Michael: Chief Executive Officer Hapag Lloyd AG,
  Kranich, Ulrich: Member of the Management Board Hapag Lloyd AG
• Cordes, Dr. Eckhard: Chief Executive Officer METRO AG
• Dekkers, Dr. Marijn: Chief Executive Officer Bayer AG,
  Pott, Dr. Richard: Member of the Management Board Bayer AG
• Diekmann, Michael: Chief Executive Officer Allianz AG
• Enders, Thomas: Chief Executive Officer Airbus S.A.S.
• Engel, Dr. Klaus: Chief Executive Officer Evonik Industries AG
• Fehrenbach, Franz: Chief Executive Officer Robert Bosch GmbH,
  Scholl, Prof . Hermann: Chairman of the Supervisory Board Robert Bosch GmbH
• Franz, Dr. Christoph: Chief Executive Officer Deutsche Lufthansa AG
• Fuchs, Stefan: Chief Executive Officer FUCHS PETROLUB AG
• Großmann, Dr. Jürgen: Chief Executive Officer RWE AG
• Hambrecht, Dr. Jürgen: Chief Executive Officer BASF SE (2003 to 2011)
  Bock, Dr. Kurt: Chief Executive Officer BASF SE (from 2011)
  Voscherau, Dr. Eggert, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, BASF SE
• Heitmann, Dr. Axel: Chief Executive Officer LANXESS AG
• Heuchert, Dr. Karsten: Chief Executive Officer VNG - Verbundnetz Gas AG
• Kirchhoff, Dr. Jochen: Chairman of Advisory Board and Shareholder Circle KIRCHHOFF Group
• Kley, Dr. Karl-Ludwig: Chief Executive Officer and General Partner Merck KGaA
• Leibinger-Kammüller, Dr. Nicola: Managing Director Trumpf GmbH & Co. KG
• Lütkestratkötter, Dr. Herbert: Chief Executive Officer Hochtief AG
• Metzler, Friedrich von: General Partner B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG
• Nonnenmacher, Prof. Rolf: Spokesman of the Management Board KPMG AG,
  Becker, Klaus: Member of the Management Board KPMG AG
• Obermann, René: Chief Executive Officer Deutsche Telekom AG,
  Sattelberger, Thomas: Member of the Management Board Deutsche Telekom AG
• Oesterle, Dr. Fritz: Chief Executive Officer Celesio AG
• Oetker, Dr. Arend: Dr. Arend Oetker Holding GmbH & Co. KG
• Ostrowski, Hartmut: Chief Executive Officer Bertelsmann AG
• Reithofer, Dr. Norbert: Chief Executive Officer BMW AG,
  Milberg, Prof. Joachim: Chairman of the Supervisory Board BMW AG
• Reitzle, Prof. Wolfgang: Chief Executive Officer Linde AG
• Rorsted, Kasper: Chief Executive Officer Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
• Rühl, Gisbert: Chief Executive Officer Klöckner & Co SE
• Scheufelen, Dr. Ulrich: Papierfabrik Scheufelen GmbH & Co. KG
• Schmitz, Andreas: Spokesman of the Management Board HSBC Trinkhaus & Burkhardt AG
• Schrader, Hans-Otto: Chief Executive Officer Otto Group,
  Otto, Dr. Michael: Chairman of the Supervisory Board Otto Group
• Snabe, Jim Hagemann: Spokesman of the Management Board SAP AG,
  Plattner, Prof. Hasso: Chairman of the Supervisory Board SAP AG
• Staudigl, Dr. Rudolf: Chief Executive Officer Wacker Chemie AG,
  Rauhut , Dr. Joachim: Member of the Management Board Wacker Chemie AG,
  Sittenthaler, Dr. Wilhelm: Member of the Management Board Wacker Chemie AG,
  Willems, Auguste (Guido): Member of the Management Board Wacker Chemie AG
• Steiner, Norbert: Chief Executive Officer K+S AG
• Tafel, Andreas: Managing Director Apontas GmbH & Co. KG
• Teyssen, Dr. Johannes: Chief Executive Officer E.ON AG,
  Maubach, Prof. Klaus-Dieter: Member of the Management Board E.ON AG
• Weimer, Dr. Theodor:  Spokesman of the Management Board UniCredit Bank AG/HypoVereinsbank
• Winterkorn, Prof. Martin: Chief Executive Officer Volkswagen AG
• Zetsche, Dr. Dieter: Chief Executive Officer Daimler AG

The initiative's objective is to gain further support and win additional signees. It plans to promote the Code of Responsible Conduct throughout industry by help of collective dialogue activities.

Contact person:
Dietmar Kokott
Chairman of the Managing Board 
Foundation Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics

dietmar.kokott[at]wcge.org