Ethical Principles

Ethical Principles:
They are those principles profit making companies and their employees give priority to, outside or inside the company, in their relations with other employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, government organizations, competitors and the whole society as well as the responsibilities they assume.

I. Working Culture:

1.Ülker Bisküvi treats its suppliers as work partners; does not compromise fairness and honesty and keeps its loyalty to contracts. It fulfills its responsibilities in its business relations that arise from contracts.

2. The principle of “fairness” is indispensable for the Ülker Bisküvi’s understanding of business. Relations among group companies as well as between them and their employees, customers, suppliers, partners, shareholders and the society depend on openness and fairness.

3.Ülker Bisküvi fulfills any responsibilities that arise from the law and keeps its loyalty to ethical principles. Furthermore, it assumes responsibility for their implementation. It ensures that doubtful issues, including violation of the law, regulations, company principles and ethical rules are clarified.

4. It is an important part of Ülker culture to act in a customer-focused way. Ülker Bisküvi believes that loyalty of its customers arise from its determination to meet customers’ needs, obedience to moral rules and high-quality goods and services it provides. 

II. Social Responsibility Consciousness:

1.Ülker Bisküvi accepts its obligation to get involved in activities for the purpose of the welfare of the society with its consciousness of social responsibility.

2.Ülker Bisküvi contributes voluntarily to the establishment of a better society and environment.

3.Ülker Bisküvi encourages its employees to attend social activities voluntarily in order to build their consciousness of social responsibility.

4.Ülker Bisküvi aims to add value to the well-being of children, elderly people, women and the disabled. The Company emphasises its sensitivity to these issues and supports improvement projects about these issues. 

III. Positive Business Relations, Impartiality and Equality of Opportunities:

1.Ülker Bisküvi, attaches importance to act respectfully in its relations with its employees/customers/suppliers/partners/shareholders and the society. It treats all individuals it is related to with the respect they deserve.

2. Ülker Bisküvi remains impartial to government agencies and organizations, civil society organization as well as political parties without any expectations for advantage in conducting all its activities and operations.

3.Ülker Bisküvi is respectful and loyal to all the law, statue and regulations of the Turkish Republic as well as human rights.

4.Ülker Bisküvi chooses and nominates its representatives, lawyers, mediators and consultants on the basis of their honesty, truthfulness, impartiality and loyalty to the law.

5.Ülker Bisküvi avoids any relations, effects and events that might prevent or seem to prevent it from making impartial and fair decisions during the course of business.

6.Ülker Bisküvi gives importance to variety among its employees, shows respect to their personal qualifications and character as well as ensures that all its employees adopt and apply these behaviors.

7.Ülker Bisküvi considers its employees’ proposals to be an opportunity for the development of the organization and processes.

8.Ülker Bisküvi informs suppliers of required terms clearly in purchases and evaluates proposals impartially for its benefits and as required by the understanding of business ethics.

9.Ülker Bisküvi respects equality of opportunities in its relations with the Distributor.

IV. Relations with Suppliers and Competitors:

1.Ülker Bisküvi obeys all legislation (the law, statue and regulations etc.) and provisions of authorized bodies about protecting competition.

2.Ülker Bisküvi does not make any negative statements against its competitors and their managers by giving their names through the media.

3.Ülker Bisküvi does not communicate and make an agreement with competitor firms for boycotting its customers or suppliers. 

4.Ülker Bisküvi does not communicate and make an agreement with competitor firms for issues like preventing new competitors, fixing product prices and sharing regions/markets/customers

5.Ülker Bisküvi never tolerates any unethical behavior with respect to access to information about other companies and prevents its customers from acting in such a manner. However, it does not mind using public information about companies (web sites, price lists, advertisements, published documents etc.).

6.Ülker Bisküvi does not employ the first order relatives (spouses, siblings, children, parents) of the employees in critical positions at its competitors.

V. Customer Satisfaction:

1.Ülker Bisküvi corrects product problems that arise from its companies or channels until the delivery of the product to the customers promptly. The Company is accessible and prevents unfair treatment of customers in this respect.

2.Ülker Bisküvi tries to carry product quality behind customers’ expectations. 

3.Ülker Bisküvi focuses to form a structure that serves with a customer satisfaction oriented global and local understanding and is consistent with customs and traditions of the society it acts in. 

VI. Product and Service Quality:

1.Ülker Bisküvi realizes our target of prompt and healthy development, contributes to the formation of legal regulations and maintains a full protection of our intellectual and industrial property rights with our corporate identity and is in full loyalty to national and international legislation.

2.Ülker Bisküvi, conducts its activities according to national quality standards like TSE and international standards like ISO, OHSES, BRC and IFS as well as maintaining its quality certificates in cooperation with all its employees.

3. Food technology all around the world is developing fast and new products and inventions contributing to the well-being of the mankind are being developed. Ethical approach of Ülker Bisküvi is to use these technologies that contribute to the lives of individuals and support their well-being as the pioneering firm and to develop products that contribute to these technologies.

4.Ülker Bisküvi does not use in its products the ingredients that are known to be harmful to health and states all contents of its products clearly on their packaging. 

5.Ülker Bisküvi definitely takes care of health and hygiene discipline of its products during the production and marketing processes.

6.Ülker Bisküvi does not provide products or services that might harm and/or mislead its customers and consumers.

VII. Employee Rights and Work Security:

1.Ülker Bisküvi ensures that personal rights of its employees are completely/properly given on time.

2.Ülker Bisküvi attaches importance to personal development of its employees in addition to business targets and the company’s competitive strength and takes steps in this respect. 

3.Ülker Bisküvi provides its employees with an efficient and happy working environment which is dominated by values like honesty, coherence, respect, trust and responsibility and in which each and every employee can express himself/herself.

4.Ülker Bisküvi encourages its employees to get involved in social activities voluntarily. 

5.Ülker Bisküvi takes any measures as well as equipment and procedures necessary for the workers’ health and security. 

VIII. Protection of Shareholders’ Benefits:

1. In purchase and sale of company shares, Ülker Bisküvi ensures loyalty to the law and trustworthiness, regards the benefits and opinions of its shareholders, respects moral values, does not allow speculations, obeys restrictions arising from current legislations and acts transparently.

2.Ülker Bisküvi attaches importance to sustainable profitability in its investments and manages its existing investments efficiently.

3.Ülker Bisküvi designs/conducts its operations according to the law and corporate ethics in order to protect the company’s reputation and value. 

IX. Discrimination and Harassment:

1.Ülker Bisküvi definitely rejects sexual, social and physical harassment and annoyance of any of its employees or their similar behaviors against others. 

2.Ülker Bisküvi definitely rejects subjection of any of its employees to psychological harassment such as discrimination, exclusion and deterrence and their similar behaviors against others. 

3.Ülker Bisküvi remains impartial to all bodies/organizations without making discrimination on the basis of religion/ language/ race/ gender/ culture/ opinion. It provides a working environment where differences are tolerated and accepted. Ülker Bisküvi expects its employees to behave so. 

X. Fairness of Records:

1.Ülker Bisküvi prepares all records of its companies financial tables properly, completely and in accordance with related principles and legal rules. It ensures that relations with organizations and people outside the company are recorded in accordance with all the legislation (the law, statue and regulations etc.) and on time.

2.Ülker Bisküvi’s employees who attend proposals, tender preparations or contract meetings are responsible for fairness and correctness of all the information they give to prospective suppliers.

XI. Information Security:

1.Ülker Bisküvi protects patents, business secrets, copyrights and intellectual property like trade names and trademarks and respects its competitors’ intellectual property rights. 

2.Ülker Bisküvi conceals /keeps confidential information (business and personal etc.) of its suppliers, customers, employees and job applicants.  
 
XII. Informing Government Organization and the Society:

1.Ülker Bisküvi does not make faulty, incorrect or misleading advertisements and incorrect statements in its sale and marketing activities. 

2.Ülker Bisküvi provides the public and its shareholders with correct, clear and on-time information through all its notifications. 

3.Ülker Bisküvi informs the public about any information, development and change that might affect the value of financial instruments operating in the capital market in accordance with the legislation and within specified time – periods. 

4.Ülker Bisküvi conducts its communication with all government organizations properly, clearly and on – time.

XIII. Deference to the Law:

1.Ülker Bisküvi carries on all its activities / operations, domestic and abroad, according to national and international legislation as well as provides proper, complete and on – time information to regulatory organizations determined by law.  

2.Ülker Bisküvi does not get involved in any activities such tax evasion, corruption, bribery, misleading the government in financial reports etc. 

3.Ülker Bisküvi respects to legal rules and social values of each and every country it acts in and is aware of its social responsibilities. 

4.Ülker Bisküvi acts according to all the related legislation (the law, statue and regulations etc.) when purchasing goods and services from suppliers. 

XIV. Receiving and Offering Gifts:

1.Ülker Bisküvi does not offer gifts that goes behind the purpose of gift-giving and might put parties on the spot (that might overshadow impartiality of the other party / is of high material value) to companies / their employees it is related to and does not receive such gifts. 

2. Gifts that are delivered to the company without the employee being informed, is communicated to the General Manager of the company and sent to the Promotion Room, whereby it is distributed to employees by lottery on the New Year’s Eve.

XV. Environment:

1.Ülker Bisküvi tries its best to protect the environment in both its own business and those of its suppliers and work partners.

2.Ülker Bisküvi uses natural and energy resources efficiently and prevents their waste.

3.Ülker Bisküvi keeps waste and any pollution that arises as a result of production activities under control and acts according to the standards and legislation (such as ISO) related to this.

4.Ülker Bisküvi searches for recycling and reusage opportunities and benefits from them in its enterprises.

5.Ülker Bisküvi carries on several activities to build environmental consciousness for its employees.

XVI. Responsibility for Notifying Immoral Situations:

1.Ülker Bisküvi cannot carry on activities that are to prevent revealance of immoral activities of its companies and other people (corporate and real). It cannot cover up any corruption.

These principles are applied to any communications with media, including internet and e-mail,  that takes place in and outside the Company. It is ensured that employees believe in and adopt these rules morally. It is monitored whether these rules are followed. In case that an incongruity is discovered, the Board of Discipline is acts in charge.