Anti-corruption measures

PRINCIPLE 10: Combating corruption

Commitments and management systems

  • OECD Guidelines for multinational Enterprises, embedded in a variety of corporate guidelines
  • Compliance Management System according to the audit standard 980 of the Institute of Auditors (IDW PS980)
  • METRO Business Principles
  • METRO Anti-corruption guideline
  • METRO Consultant guidelines
  • Digital due diligence process for business partners (risk-based)

Measures 2020/21

  • The colour-coding highlights the corresponding measures and achievements
  • Items with this bullet point do not have any corresponding passages
  • Compliance communication in various formats – internal and external – to inform employees as well as third parties outside the Group, including METRO’s social network platform 
  • Ongoing implementation of the anti-corruption guideline in day-to-day business  
  • IT tool (CDDS – Compliance Due Diligence Solution) for digital business partner screening rolled out across the Group and fully implemented. For high-risk business partners, an in-depth due diligence review is planned, including the review of external databases.
  • Membership and participation in the Alliance for Integrity, an anti-corruption initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the United Nations Global Compact network.

Achievements 2020/21

  • Examples of internal communication measures:
    • Compliance training on anti-corruption in various companies in central functions and in sales, partly as e-training
    • Compliance-Talks 
    • Compliance presence in METRO’s social network
    • Speak-up communication campaign (Inspirational Compliance Video) 
    • Tones from the top in various companies on the contents of the anti-corruption guidelines (e.g. the acceptance of gifts)
  • Examples of external communication measures:
    • Business principles on METRO’s websites – with access to the Compliance Reporting System.
    • Code of Conduct for Business Partners on METRO’s websites
    • Anti-corruption clause applied in external contracts on a graduated basis according to the risk of the business partner
  • Compliance risk workshops in various companies (depending on the level of risk) to identify corruption risks and compliance with guidelines
  • Workshops, trainings and feedback sessions to ensure the use of the digital tool (CDDS) throughout the Group including monitoring at corporate level of reported cases for follow-up at the level of individual companies
  • The colour-coding highlights the corresponding measures and achievements
  • Items with this bullet point do not have any corresponding passages