Code of Ethics
Introduction
All employees of Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş. are obliged to comply with the Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş. code of ethical conduct. Communicating the code to all employees, making sure they give it due importance, and making the necessary effort to ensure compliance are among the primary duties and responsibilities of middle and senior managers at Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş.
The code of ethics, built on the values and principles adopted by Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş., guides us in determining the most appropriate conduct in our business processes. Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş. employees should assess whether their own conduct and that of their colleagues complies with the code. Reporting decisions and behaviour observed to be inconsistent with business ethics to the Ethics Committee is the shared responsibility of every Bil-Han Tekstil employee. Every behaviour that does not comply with the Code of Business Ethics will be examined closely, and those who violate it will be subject to disciplinary sanctions. Reports of non-compliance concerning members of the Ethics Committee will be evaluated by the other committee members.
The ETHICS COMMITTEE is responsible for investigating and resolving complaints and reports that the Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş. code of ethics has been violated. Reporting to the Chairman of the Board of Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş., the Ethics Committee consists of:
- Erbil Çeçener – General Manager
- Bahar Gençer – Social Responsibility and Human Resources Specialist
- Eda Saygıner – Quality Officer
Mustafa Çeçener
Chairman of the Board, Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş.
Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş. Code of Business Ethics
Integrity
Accuracy, honesty, transparency and high business morals are our priority values in all our business processes and in our relationships with both our employees and our stakeholders. Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş. does not engage in any behaviour that would damage mutual trust in its business relationships.
Confidentiality
Information not known to third parties which, if disclosed, could put the company and/or its stakeholders at a competitive disadvantage — trade secrets, employee personnel information and matters covered by non-disclosure agreements — is defined as "confidential information". Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş. takes care to protect the confidential information of its employees and stakeholders. Our employees may not leak confidential information for any commercial gain. We protect, process, store and destroy all personal data in accordance with the law.
Bribery / Acceptance of Gifts / Money Laundering
Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş. does not give to, or accept from, the companies or individuals it deals with any gifts that go beyond the purpose of a gift (i.e. that would affect the other party's objective decision-making or have high material value) or that would put the parties in a difficult position. Receiving, giving or offering bribes and/or commissions is unacceptable under any circumstances. All business is conducted transparently, and there can be no participation in any money-laundering activity. Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş. employees may not request, for their own benefit, any gift, discount, commission, favour or hospitality that could affect their impartiality or conduct, and may not accept such offers. We stand against all forms of corruption.
Responsibilities
Our Legal Responsibilities
Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş. acts in accordance with the law in all its activities. It maintains an equal distance from all public institutions, non-governmental organisations and political parties, without pursuing any interest. Accuracy and legal compliance in financial and commercial records are fundamental.
Our Responsibilities to Our Customers
We adopt a customer-oriented working system to achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction. Our priority is to consistently deliver, test and continuously improve the quality of our products and services in line with our customers' requirements, and to meet their requests accurately and on time. Out of regard for animal welfare, no tests are carried out on animals for the products we manufacture.
Building long-term trust in our relationships with customers is important. Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş. protects customer information with care.
Our Responsibilities to Our Employees
Aware that our people are our most valuable asset, providing our employees with clean, free, healthy and safe working conditions is one of our most important duties. We provide all equipment required for occupational health and safety, follow procedures and offer a safe and healthy working environment. We set up systems to identify risks in order to detect, assess, avoid and respond in good time to potential hazards to our employees' health and safety.
We respect the dignity and personal rights of our employees. We do not share our employees' private information with third parties without their consent, except where legally required.
In all hiring and employment decisions, we evaluate all employees, women and men alike, on the basis of their skills and suitability for the job. Work is based on voluntary participation. We do not discriminate on the basis of gender, colour, race, nationality, ethnic origin, health status, disability, religion or other beliefs. We act fairly in pay, rewards and promotion, based on performance and productivity criteria. We follow transparent policies in all processes.
Female employees are not dismissed because of pregnancy or childbirth. We ensure that an employee who leaves due to pregnancy can return to the same position. During pregnancy and after childbirth, working conditions, leave and breaks are specially arranged as required by law. We make the necessary effort for our employees' personal development and provide equal opportunity for their training and development.
We comply with laws on labour and workers' rights. We support the prevention of all unlawful employment practices. We do not employ anyone under the age of 18. We never accept forced labour or debt bondage.
Wages are set at or above the minimum required by national law and are paid on time, regularly and in full.
Except in extraordinary circumstances, regular weekly working hours are 45, with a maximum of 2 hours of overtime per day. Total overtime over a working year does not exceed 270 hours.
Our employees are entitled to at least one day off in every seven-day period. Overtime is worked on a voluntary basis.
We do not tolerate any behaviour that constitutes harassment.
Employees must avoid conflicts of interest that could adversely affect their impartiality and loyalty to the company.
Employees must avoid situations in which their personal interests improperly influence, or appear to influence, their business judgement; this is called a conflict of interest. Even the perception that personal interests influence business judgement harms our reputation and our business. In such a situation, senior management must always be notified.
We respect our employees' right to form or join — or not to join — trade unions and associations, and their right to collective bargaining.
We enable our employees to express their complaints freely to the Ethics Committee under the complaints and disciplinary procedure, without fear of retaliation, and to have their concerns resolved appropriately and in good time by the committee.
Our Responsibilities to Our Suppliers
The goods and services our suppliers provide directly affect the quality of the goods and services our company produces.
We therefore take care that our suppliers are companies working to accepted quality levels and standards.
We act fairly and impartially in supplier selection and offer channels through which suppliers can report concerns without fear of retaliation.
We do not work with suppliers who break the law or fail to act ethically. We treat our suppliers with respect and make every effort to fulfil our obligations on time. We carefully protect our suppliers' confidential information.
Our Responsibilities to Society
We aim to strengthen the national economy. We plan and carry out our responsibilities to society within the framework of sustainability principles, and we support corporate social responsibility projects with care.
We carefully avoid unethical behaviour such as bribery, corruption and abuse of office, and support efforts to eliminate such offences. We have zero tolerance for land grabbing and respect the property and land rights of individuals and communities.
We attach importance to democracy, human health, human rights and the protection of the environment. In our activities we act with social benefit and environmental awareness in mind, and voluntarily contribute to a better society and a cleaner environment. We organise environmental training for our employees and carry out various activities to raise their environmental awareness. We help develop environmentally friendly technologies by supporting all activities and initiatives that increase environmental responsibility.
We use natural and energy resources efficiently, protect biodiversity and prevent waste.
We keep waste and all forms of pollution resulting from our production under control and act in accordance with the relevant standards and legislation. We store waste in line with the zero-waste system and work with local recyclers to find suitable processing facilities for our waste materials. We have an environmental management system for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions through appropriate projects.
Employees' Responsibilities to Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş.
Our employees must avoid any behaviour that would damage the company's image and reputation and must carry out their work within the code of ethics they are obliged to follow. All our employees must fulfil their responsibilities in protecting and enhancing our company's respected image. We expect our employees to cooperate in harmony, to communicate with one another on the basis of mutual trust, respect and courtesy, and to embrace teamwork.
Our employees must use all company fixtures, tools and equipment for their intended purpose and avoid waste. Using time effectively and efficiently in production is essential. The company's interests must always be taken into account. Company resources may not be used for employees' private affairs.
Our employees may not use confidential, non-public information about the company, our customers or our suppliers for their own or others' benefit, and may not leak confidential information learned in the course of their work outside the company.
When managing relationships with our suppliers, our employees must act in a way that gives no impression of a conflict of interest. They are not permitted to accept gifts that could adversely affect their objective decision-making.
All employees have access to complaint mechanisms; all complaints and feedback are responded to in accordance with the complaints and disciplinary regulation.
Suppliers' Responsibilities to Bil-Han Tekstil A.Ş.
Suppliers must conduct business lawfully and honestly.
They must act respectfully and make every effort to fulfil their obligations on time. Our suppliers must carefully protect and safeguard confidential information.
They must adopt a customer-oriented working system to achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction.
They must continuously improve the quality of their products and services in line with our requirements and meet our requests accurately and on time.
Please send all complaints and feedback to bilhan@bilhantekstil.com.tr and ik@bilhantekstil.com.tr.