Code of Conduct from NEERTEX – El Ani & Güttner GbR

Preamble

We develop technical solutions with precision, responsibility, and a commitment to quality. Our work should be reliable, secure, and transparent for customers, colleagues, partners, and the public. Therefore, we expect everyone who works with NEERTEX or interacts with us through our channels to behave in a manner that ensures integrity, respect, data privacy, professional honesty, and legally compliant cooperation.

This Code of Conduct is the binding basis for our cooperation. It serves to protect people, projects, information, business relationships, and the NEERTEX brand.

Scope

This code applies to

• all employees including management, working students, interns and other staff,
• all freelancers, independent consultants, subcontractors and external specialists involved on a project basis,
• all customers, clients and their representatives in the context of cooperation with NEERTEX,
• all persons who use our community, communication or platform offerings, including NEERTEX's website, contact form, social media and other digital interaction spaces.

Contractual, employment law, or statutory obligations take precedence separately, where necessary. This code supplements these obligations.

Our principles

We act

• lawful and honest
• respectful and non-discriminatory,
• professionally thorough and safety-oriented,
• confidential and compliant with data protection regulations,
• transparent regarding errors, risks and conflicts of interest,
• Responsibly handling publicity, images, data, software, models and intellectual property.

Respect, dignity and anti-discrimination

At NEERTEX, there is no place for discrimination, harassment, intimidation, bullying, sexual harassment, hate speech, or degrading behavior. This applies in the office, in home offices, on construction sites, in meetings, in chats, in emails, on social media, at events, and in all project-related communication spaces.

We respect people regardless of ethnic origin, gender, gender identity, sexual identity, religion or worldview, disability, age or other personal characteristics.

Everyone has the right to report concerns or incidents without fear of discrimination. NEERTEX designates a responsible complaints and contact point for this purpose.

Health, safety and working methods

We protect health, occupational safety and personal safety.

We prioritize safety over speed. No one is instructed or pressured to ignore technical or organizational risks. Unsafe situations, near misses, hazards, safety-related errors, and peaks in psychological stress are addressed and documented.

The same standards apply to mobile work, hybrid work, and work at the client's site as to the regular workplace. Working hours are recorded accurately. Rest periods are observed. Availability is planned and not a permanent state. Anyone working outside of agreed working hours must document this properly.

Data protection, confidentiality and information security

We process personal data and confidential information only if there is a legitimate purpose and a permissible legal basis for doing so. We adhere to data minimization, access restrictions, and secure storage.

Confidential information includes, in particular, customer data, drawings, CAD files, parts lists, calculations, simulations, risk assessments, technical documentation, offers, prices, contracts, access data, internal processes, personnel information and unpublished business information.

It is forbidden to

• to pass on confidential data unsecured,
• Using private or unauthorized tools for sensitive project data
• Sharing access data,
• Uploading files to external systems without rights verification,
• Publishing screenshots, references, or project details without permission.

Photos, videos and depictions of employees, customers or third parties are only used with the necessary permission and in compliance with their rights.

Integrity, prohibition of corruption and conflicts of interest

We do not tolerate corruption, kickbacks, sham services, improper commissions, or any advantages that may unduly influence business decisions or create the impression that they may.

Gifts, hospitality, and invitations may only be accepted or extended if they are appropriate, transparent, legally permissible, and commercially justifiable. Cash or cash equivalents will not be accepted or offered.

Conflicts of interest must be disclosed. This includes, in particular,

• private relationships that influence procurement or contract award decisions,
• Secondary employment involving competitive or loyalty risks,
• economic self-interest in suppliers, customers or project results,
• Personal benefits from recommendations, referrals, or material procurement.

Someone in a conflict situation does not make a decision alone.

Professional and technical integrity

As an engineering company, we stand for reliable statements and comprehensible documentation.

It is forbidden,

• To manipulate calculations, tests, measurement results or simulations,
• deliberately concealing risks, deviations or uncertainties,
• falsely claiming that requirements, standards, safety objectives or conformity criteria have been met,
• Creating incomplete or misleading technical documentation,
• to use foreign models, data, specifications or source materials without rights and permissions,
• To incorporate changes into security-relevant documents without version status, approval or documentation.

If there are professional doubts, the situation is not improvised, but escalated.

Intellectual property and usage rights

We respect copyrights, usage rights, license terms, trademark rights, trade secrets and intellectual property rights.

Work results, designs, constructions, content, images, simulations, scripts, data models and software may only be used, reproduced, edited or distributed to the extent that rights exist for them.

For client projects, the following applies: usage rights, output formats, references, demo uses, and further development rights are clearly agreed upon. Without explicit permission, NEERTEX will not use any third-party project results as showcases, case studies, or marketing material.

Communication and Social Media

We communicate objectively, respectfully and truthfully.

Public statements made on behalf of NEERTEX are only made by authorized personnel or with appropriate approval. This applies to press releases, social media, webinars, podcasts, comments, interviews, and references.

Anyone who publicly expresses their personal views on topics with a recognizable connection to NEERTEX must clearly separate their personal opinion from the company's position. Confidential project information, internal processes, customer details, unverified technical statements, or derogatory statements about customers, competitors, or colleagues are prohibited.

Misleading advertising claims, manipulative presentations, purchased fake reviews and the publication of images or statements without the necessary rights or consents are prohibited.

Reporting, notifications and protection against discrimination

We want to identify problems early and investigate them fairly.

Anyone within the scope of this code may report violations, risks, or inappropriate behavior. Reports may include, but are not limited to, discrimination, data breaches, suspected corruption, harassment, technical inaccuracies, security flaws, legal violations, or community abuse.

NEERTEX treats information confidentially to the extent legally and organizationally possible. Individuals reporting in good faith must not be disadvantaged. However, deliberately false accusations are themselves a violation of this code.

NEERTEX establishes clear internal communication channels and also provides information about external legal reporting channels.

Investigations and consequences

Violations of this code will be investigated proportionately, documented, and without prejudgment. Protective measures for those affected and involved may be ordered even during the investigation.

Possible consequences include, in particular,

• Note, clarification meeting or mandatory training,
• formal warning or reprimand,
• Restriction of access rights or tasks,
• Project withdrawal, project pause or moderation measure,
• Termination of contract or exclusion from further cooperation
• Claims for damages or involvement of authorities.

The selection of measures depends on severity, intent, repetition, risk level and cooperation in the proceedings.

Training, certification and review

Employees receive the code during onboarding and regularly in training sessions. Freelancers receive it before the project starts or as an appendix to their contract. Clients and community/platform users receive the relevant parts via contract documents, quotes, platform instructions, or linked terms of use.

The code is reviewed at least once a year and whenever there are significant changes to the business model, legal situation or risk profile.

Appendix for employees

We also expect employees to:

• Correct time tracking and adherence to rest periods,
• careful handling of work equipment, passwords and project data,
• Immediate escalation of security, quality, or compliance risks,
• No secondary employment involving a conflict of competition or loyalty without disclosure.
• No private use of customer data, materials or software without permission.
• Respectful cooperation internally and externally.

Managers bear additional responsibility. They create a safe working environment, respond to warnings, do not tolerate retaliation, and visibly exemplify this code.

Appendix for freelancers and external specialists

We also expect freelancers to...

• Adherence to this code as a binding project standard,
• careful separation between customer, third-party and own materials,
• No subcontracting without approval.
• No use of NEERTEX or customer material for training one's own models or tools without express permission.
• immediate disclosure of conflicts of interest,
• No public reference use without permission.
• Contractual compliance, truthful performance data and clean chains of rights.

Freelancers act independently, but within the agreed quality, safety and confidentiality standards.

Appendix for customers and clients

We also expect the following from our customers:

• respectful, non-discriminatory and fair cooperation,
• no incitement to unlawful, unsafe or deceptive behavior,
• no demand for backdated, manipulated or factually inaccurate documents,
• transparent communication regarding requirements, approvals and rights,
• Maintaining the confidentiality of our methods, offers and documents,
• no undue advantages, benefits or coercion towards NEERTEX persons.

NEERTEX reserves the right to refuse, pause or terminate orders if customers violate essential integrity, safety or respect standards.

Appendix for community and platform users

The following applies to all public interaction spaces of NEERTEX:

Factual questions, constructive criticism, respectful discussion and serious contact are permitted.

The following are specifically prohibited:

• Hate speech, harassment, insults, threats or targeted hostility,
• personal attacks, doxxing or publication of other people's data,
• Deception regarding identity or connection,
• Spam, fraud attempts or harmful links,
• Calls for illegal, unsafe or technically irresponsible actions,
• Publication or request for confidential project information,
• Infringing or misleading content.

NEERTEX can remove content, restrict interactions, block users, and report serious cases to platform operators or authorities.