Responsibility through to the supply chain

Our General Terms and Conditions of Contract and Purchase also give consideration to compliance. We require our suppliers and service providers to comply with the principles of the United Nations Global Compact. This essentially relates to protection of international human rights, the right to collective bargaining, abolition of forced labor and child labor, elimination of discrimination in hiring and employment practices, responsibility for the environment and prevention of corruption.

Increased focus on information security

As is the case with most companies, we are heavily dependent on information technologies. The trust of our customers and suppliers, as well as our employees, in the security and functionality of our systems and our responsible handling of sensitive data has therefore long been a key success factor. This makes it all the more important that we ensure a uniformly high level of information security across all processes. We base our activities in this area on the recommendations of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Our information security management system is additionally oriented toward international standards such as ISO 27001 and ISO 27002. Our IT Security Policy provides the framework for all aspects relevant in this context. This applies without restriction to BLG LOGISTICS including all subsidiaries in which we hold at least 50 percent of the shares, as well as to minority interests that utilize our IT systems, and is also and is also binding for contractual partners and suppliers subject to deviating regulations. The guidelines and procedures applicable throughout the organization are also derived from this.

Responsibility for all matters relating to IT security lies with the IT security officer, who reports to the head of IT Services. The tasks of the IT security officer include the operation and further development of the IT security organization, issuing advice on all IT security issues, regular risk analysis, the implementation of awareness-raising and training measures, and emergency preparedness. They must be involved accordingly in all IT security-relevant processes.

Increasingly sensitive: Data protection

At BLG LOGISTICS, the central Legal, Compliance & Insurance department is responsible for matters relating to data protection. With the introduction of the GDPR, the legal requirements governing how we process personal data of our employees, but also of our business partners and customers, have once again grown and we have adopted and communicated corresponding internal policies and guidelines as well as retention periods. We conduct regular and systematic on-site checks to monitor compliance with established processes and identify possible deviations as well as potential for improvement. This ensures a uniformly high level of data protection implementation across the company. Despite the more difficult conditions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it was still possible to conduct the audits in the reporting year thanks to online conferences and the support of officers on site. We also use these audits as an opportunity to train employees at the respective locations on topics relevant to data privacy and thus raise their awareness. In 2020, we developed a new e-learning format. We also see the increasing number of inquiries from different departments as evidence of the growing awareness for this topic.

Processes are documented using a centrally managed application that maps numerous interfaces with IT and Information Security. The level of documentation thus achieved allows us to respond quickly and reliably even to very short-term events or inquiries from supervisory authorities.