Social Policies and Guidelines

Values & Principles (V&P), reflect Sika’s corporate culture through the following principles:

“Customer First”,
“Courage for Innovation”
“Manage for Results”
“Sustainability and Integrity”, and
“Empowerment and Respect”.

The principles underscore Sika’s commitment to health and safety, stating that Sika operates “with a strong focus” on safety and quality, that “creating safe work environments is always a top priority,” and that “[t]he well-being and health of our employees and partners is a prerequisite to our success.”

A detailed guidance of how to implement the V&P in the daily business is provided to employees in the Sika’s Code of Conduct (CoC). All employees joining Sika pledge with their signature to uphold the V&P and the Code of Conduct. Every two years, Sika’s Senior Manager Group, including General Managers (GMs), are asked to renew their commitment to the Values & Principles and Code of Conduct (CoC) , to be role models through living up to their commitment, and to ensure that their local employees are trained regularly about both the V&P and the CoC.

The Sika Code of Conduct (CoC), defines the standards and rules of behavior for the Group and all its employees. Section 10, which is dedicated to the protection of “Health, Safety and the Environment,” stresses that Sika has the responsibility to fully follow health and safety as well as environmental laws and internal guidelines in the interest of employees, customers, the public and the environment in general. The section asks all Sika employees to “promote a safety culture and never compromise on safety and protecting others.”

In the Supplier Code of Conduct (SCoC) the section “Protection of environment and health, commitment to sustainable development” of the document highlights how suppliers must implement all applicable environmental, health, safety, and transportation standards, and maintain a recognized management system identical or like ISO 14000 and ISO 45001, ensuring a continuous monitoring and improvement of their operational impacts on the environment, health, and safety.

In section 16 of the SCoC, Sika reserves itself the right to “assess, by means of targeted questionnaires or third-party audits, compliance with … the above-listed principles.” These principles include complying with all required product safety and labelling documentation, as well as ensuring that all goods delivered to Sika “do not contain substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction under the Global Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals.”

Safety and Sustainability Manual is valid for all Sika entities globally. The principles of this manual must be reflected in both local and regional management processes. Since this manual is an integral part of the Corporate Management System, the corresponding local procedures are to be embedded into the local ISO-processes.

All new hires at Sika must attend a mandatory induction session on these processes as part of their introductory program. Local management must provide regular training to employees to ensure that the safety principles are known and followed. The implementation of this manual at the local and regional level is subject to audits and inspections. This manual will be updated in 2024 and will include a dedicated EHS policy.

Life Saving Rules consist of ten rules that have been defined and deployed to help keep everybody safe on Sika sites:

1. Fit for Work
2. Work Authorization
3. Confined Space
4. Energy Isolation
5. Work at Height
6. Safety Controls
7. Driver Safety
8. Protect Against Explosion
9. Hot Work
10. Beware of Hazards

They address and raise awareness around key risks about the health and safety of employees, contractors, and visitors at Sika locations, and apply to Sika employees when visiting customers or suppliers. All employees and third parties working on-site must adhere to these rules and are empowered to stop their work if they find it unsafe. Local EHS managers are responsible for communicating and distributing these rules and organizing dedicated training on site.

EHS Minimum Requirements consist of a set of 12 specific operational requirements related to specific hazardous activities (general sites rules, battery charging stations, confined spaces, explosion protection, hot work safety, lockout – tagout, personal protective equipment (PPE), rules for contractors, rules for visitors, safe driving, use of forklifts, work at heights) which have been implemented over the last two years in each Sika company. Each country has set up its own program to roll out and train employees to these standards.

Hazard Analysis and Risk Management Policy refers to the mandatory EHS and Risk Management procedures for every Sika company depending on their range of activities.

Regulatory and Product Compliance Guidelines are used to ensure that raw materials, products, and services are assessed according to chemical regulations and compliant for marketability. Sika identifies and classifies all chemical substances, raw materials, and finished products according to their hazard potential in compliance with chemical regulations for registration, classification, labeling, packaging, transport, and restrictions. Sika products must be accompanied by a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) following the country's legal requirements and in the required language(s). Packaging and labeling are controlled and managed for local compliance and the Sika branding and labeling rules.

Labeling Guideline includes roles and responsibilities of regional and local organizations for all the applicable labeling requirements. It emphasizes that all packaging and labeling must be compliant with the laws and regulatory requirements in the markets in which the products are sold. To help local companies, Corporate Labeling Rules have been defined. The guideline further strengthens the Sika brand and Corporate Identity (CI) on a global level, giving customers and users of Sika products confidence in their safety and quality.

Product Creation Process (PCP) Manual defines the authority, responsibilities, and procedures for creating, modifying, and offering new products and solutions to the market. The PCP supports Sika’s vision, policies, and goals for long-term profitability and customer satisfaction. Reducing risks related to new products and systems introduction, safeguarding EHS and considering product sustainability aspects along the entire value chain from research to the satisfied customer are elements of the PCP.

The People & Culture Guidelines, launched in 2024, align everyday actions to Sika’s strategic priorities and strengthen the importance of adhering to global standards and internal people-related policies. They define key principles for each process along the employee lifecycle and outline desired behaviors that Sika expects from its workforce, thus contributing to creating an attractive, safe and inclusive working environment. Health and Safety is one of the key people principles in the People & Culture Guidelines, underlining Sika’s commitment to create a workplace where safety is a value embedded in every action, decision, and interaction.

Values & Principles (V&P), reflect Sika’s corporate culture through the following principles: “Customer First”, “Courage for Innovation” “Manage for Results”, “Sustainability and Integrity”, and “Empowerment and Respect”. All employees joining Sika pledge with their signature to uphold the Values & Principles and the Code of Conduct (CoC). Every two years, Sika’s Senior Manager Group, including General Managers (GMs) are asked to renew their commitment to the V&P and Code of Conduct, to be role models through living their commitment, and to ensure that local employees are trained regularly on both the V&P and the CoC.

Sika’s corporate claim is “Building Trust.” and the V&Ps remind every employee that trust in business can be earned only on the basis of a strong commitment to business ethics and integrity. The guideline zero tolerance for non-compliance with applicable laws and rules, states that “we do not compromise on integrity, and apply high ethical standards to our work.” For more detailed guidance on the implementation aspects of the V&P, please refer to Sika’s Code of Conduct.

The Sika Code of Conduct (CoC) emphasizes Sika's commitment to human rights, labor rights (including the prohibition of child labor, forced labor or modern slavery), equality, diversity, inclusion, speak-up culture, anti-corruption, environmental protection, and overall sustainability. The CoC is available in 49 languages to ensure that all Sika employees worldwide can understand and follow it.

All employees joining Sika receive a copy in their local language and must confirm their commitment to the CoC. E-learnings on the CoC are available in many languages, and employees that work digitally are asked to complete them periodically. All other employees receive regular classroom training about the CoC and how the principles apply to their daily work. Everyone working for Sika must follow the law, internal guidelines, and the provisions of the Code, and to speak up in case of grievances, observed misconduct or violations. Sika employees must also ensure that their external business partners adhere to these ethical standards. Sika’s Supplier Code of Conduct serves this purpose vis-a-vis all suppliers.

The Supplier Code of Conduct (SCoC), seeks the explicit participation of all suppliers to Sika’s Values and Principles (V&P) and its Code of Conduct (CoC). Sika’s suppliers commit to zero tolerance of child or forced labor, modern slavery, bribery, and corruption. They further promise to ensure fair wages and working hours, the freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, equality, and diversity, to the extent possible under local law. They also must have management systems in place that ensure the proper implementation, training and monitoring of these fundamental human and labor rights among their own personnel as well as the employees of their own subcontractors and suppliers. Sika regularly performs supplier audits and assessments to monitor compliance with the SCoC’s requirements. Suppliers must inform Sika immediately about known violations of the SCoC.

The Trust Policy promotes a “speak up” culture within Sika and encourages all employees to - in good faith - report fraud, corruption, unfair competition and any other violation or serious misconduct in the context of business activities, either to their superior, HR, senior management, or – if these channels do not seem appropriate – directly to Corporate Compliance. For employees to report anonymously, considering situations where reporting to managers is not feasible, Sika maintains an online reporting whistleblower platform called “Sika Trust Line,” run on the servers of an external provider.

As of 2023, the Sika Trust Line has been opened for third party reporting. Third parties can also report grievances or observed misconduct via other channels such as email or phone.

The Gift & Entertainment Policy (GEP) details Sika’s anti-corruption commitment and the zero tolerance approach to bribery and corruption. It defines the formal requirements and value thresholds for granting and accepting gifts, entertainment, donations or sponsoring. Each Sika entity has adopted a localized version of the GEP, implementing not only the overall corporate guidelines but also national anti-corruption requirements. Corporate functions have adopted specific manuals (i.e., Manual of Authority, Procurement Manual) mirroring the GEP requirements.

Legal and Insurance Manual has a section on “compliance,” which reaffirms the responsibility of management to ensure compliance with all applicable local laws and internal guidelines. In addition, the Manual delegates the second line of defense responsibilities to corporate functions including Compliance, Legal, Finance, Tax, Operations, Quality & EHS, etc., and delegates third line of defense responsibilities to Internal Audit.

The Sika Code of Conduct (CoC), requires all employees to comply with applicable laws and regulations. At all locations where Sika operates, employees are obliged to “fully comply with labor and employment laws...and international labor standards”, to “treat ... subordinates and work colleagues fairly and with respect”, to “engage in promoting diversity and an inclusive culture based on trust”, to “…not treat others unfairly based on their race, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, age, religion, etc., nor verbally or physically harass, abuse, offend, threaten or intimidate them ... to not tolerate any kind of abusive behavior nor discrimination of employees, and report observed violations.” The CoC explicitly prohibits all forms of forced, slave, or child labor, including modern slavery and human trafficking.

In addition, it stipulates the recognition of the freedom of association, collective bargaining, and social partnership, fair compensation, and fair working hours, in alignment with global standards such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and the International Labor Organization Tripartite Declaration of Principles Concerning Multi-National Enterprises and Social Policy.

The Supplier Code of Conduct (SCoC), demands that all upstream business partners adhere to Sika’s business ethics. The respect for universal human rights and labor standards is enforced by audits and reviews, which suppliers must agree to before doing business with Sika.

By signing the SCoC, suppliers commit to uphold the provisions of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the core Conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) regarding:

• Prohibition and elimination of child and forced labor
• Freedom of association and collective bargaining
• Promotion of equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment and occupation
• Safe and healthy working conditions
• Payment of living wages and regular employment entitlements
• Non-excessive working hours.

Sika UK Modern Slavery Statement  is published based on UK specific regulation. It is aligned with Sika’s overall human rights approach and outlines in detail Sika UK’s approach to identifying, addressing, and minimising the risk of modern slavery in Sika UK’s business and supply chains. Both Sika Group and Sika UK are committed to the fight against modern slavery.

Sika Australia Modern Slavery Statement is published based on specific Australian regulation. It outlines the approach of Sika AUS to identifying, addressing, and minimising the risk of modern slavery in Sika AUS’s business and supply chains. Both Sika Group and Sika Australia are committed to the fight against modern slavery, in all its manifestations.

The People & Culture Guidelines, launched in 2024, align everyday actions to Sika’s strategic priorities and strengthen the importance of adhering to global standards and internal people-related policies. They define key principles for each process along the employee lifecycle and outline desired behaviors that Sika expects from its workforce, thus contributing to creating an attractive, safe and inclusive working environment. Respecting human rights and international labor standards forms the basis for Sika’s People & Culture Guidelines, where explicit reference is made to adhering to fair working conditions, prohibiting forced and child labor, ensuring a harassment-free work environment, and recognizing freedom of association.

HR policies and employment contracts state that Sika is an equal opportunities employer. It thus is committed to treating all staff equally, refraining from any discrimination based on race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender.

Values & Principles (V&P), reflect Sika’s corporate culture through the following principles: “Customer First”, “Courage for Innovation” “Manage for Results”, “Sustainability and Integrity”, and “Empowerment and Respect”. All employees joining Sika pledge with their signature to uphold the Values & Principles and the Code of Conduct (CoC). Every two years, Sika’s Senior Manager Group, including General Managers (GMs) are asked to renew their commitment to the V&P and Code of Conduct, to be role models through living their commitment, and to ensure that local employees are trained regularly on both the V&P and the CoC.

The V&P refers to labor management in the context of two principles, “Sustainability and Integrity” and “Empowerment and Respect.” The former principle stresses that Sika takes a long-term perspective on the development of its business, thus expecting its employees to always act “with respect and responsibility” toward each other as well as external stakeholders. The latter underscores Sika’s belief in the entrepreneurial spirit of its workforce and the importance of fostering an inspirational working climate by empowering employees to propose new ideas. For more detailed guidance, the V&P refer to Sika’s Code of Conduct.

The Sika Code of Conduct (CoC), emphasizes Sika's commitment to human rights, labor rights (including the prohibition of child labor, forced labor or modern slavery), equality, diversity, inclusion, speak-up culture, anti-corruption, environmental protection, and overall sustainability. The CoC is available in 49 languages to ensure that all Sika employees worldwide can understand and follow it.

All employees joining Sika receive a copy in their local language and must confirm their commitment to the CoC. E-learnings about the CoC are available in many languages, and employees that work digitally are asked to complete them periodically. All other employees receive regular classroom training about the CoC and how the principles apply to their daily work. Everyone working for Sika must follow the law, internal guidelines, and the provisions of the Code, and to speak up in case of grievances, observed misconduct or violations. Sika employees must also ensure that their external business partners adhere to these ethical standards. Sika’s Supplier Code of Conduct serves this purpose vis-a-vis all suppliers.

The People & Culture Guidelines, launched in 2024, align everyday actions to Sika’s strategic priorities and strengthen the importance of adhering to global standards and internal people-related policies. They define key principles for each process along the employee lifecycle and outline desired behaviors that Sika expects from its workforce, thus contributing to creating an attractive, safe and inclusive working environment.

The Sika Code of Conduct (CoC), is revised periodically to ensure compliance with emerging regulatory frameworks. The most recent revision took place in 2022, emphasizing and strengthening Sika's commitment to human rights, labor rights (including the prohibition of child labor, forced labor or modern slavery), equality, diversity, inclusion, speak-up culture, anti-corruption, environmental protection, and overall sustainability. Principle 9 of the CoC asks all Sika employees to “engage in promoting diversity and an inclusive culture based on trust.” The provision further states that “Sika promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment where all employees treat each other fairly and with respect,” and that “Sika is committed to equal opportunities.”

The CoC is available in 49 languages to ensure that all of Sika’s employees worldwide can understand it. All employees joining Sika receive a copy in their local language and must confirm their commitment to the CoC. E-learnings about the CoC are made available in many languages, with all employees working digitally asked to complete them periodically. All other employees receive regular classroom training about the revised CoC and the principles that apply to their daily work.

The Supplier Code of Conduct (SCoC), seeks the explicit participation of all suppliers with Sika’s Values and Principles (V&P) and Code of Conduct (CoC). All suppliers are asked to sign Sika’s SCoC. When doing so, they commit to principle 7, entitled “Equality, Diversity, Inclusion.” The provision stipulates that the “supplier does not discriminate against any specific group of its work force, [and] promotes diversity and inclusion among its work force.” It also requires suppliers to document their efforts to achieve these goals. Lastly, it asks suppliers to accept regular audits or assessments to monitor compliance with the SCoC. Suppliers must immediately inform Sika of known violations of the SCoC.

The People & Culture Guidelines, launched in 2024, align everyday actions to Sika’s strategic priorities and strengthen the importance of adhering to global standards and internal people-related policies. They define key principles for each process along the employee lifecycle and outline desired behaviors that Sika expects from its workforce, thus contributing to creating an attractive, safe and inclusive working environment. The People & Culture Guidelines promote a diverse and inclusive work environment where all employees treat each other fairly and with respect and foster equal employment opportunities.

Trust Policy promotes a “speak up” culture within Sika and encourages all employees to – in good faith - report fraud, corruption, unfair competition and any other violation or serious misconduct including discrimination or harassment either to their superior, HR, senior management, or directly to Corporate Compliance. For employees to report anonymously, considering situations where reporting to managers is not feasible, Sika maintains an online reporting platform called “Sika Trust Line,” which is run on the servers of an external provider. As of 2023, the Sika Trust Line has been opened to third party stakeholders.

Values & Principles (V&P), revised in 2021, is a guideline reflecting Sika’s fundamental values and management principles: “Customer First”, “Courage for Innovation”, “Manage for Results”, “Sustainability and Integrity”, and “Empowerment and Respect.” The importance of developing human capital is stressed in the section “Empowerment and Respect,” and can be described as follows: 
Sika believes in the competence and the entrepreneurial spirit of its employees

Sika fosters trustful and respectful working relationships and does not exercise authority in purely formal ways

Sika expects its employees to enjoy working in close partnership with each other and with their customers, suppliers, and stakeholders

The V&P guidelines underscore that “training and development of our employees is given high priority,” and that Sika develops its leaders and prefers internal candidates for promotion. All employees joining Sika pledge with their signature to uphold the V&P and the CoC. Every two years, Sika’s Senior Manager Group, including General Managers (GMs), are asked to renew their commitment to the V&P and CoC , to be role models through living up to their commitment, and to ensure that their local employees are trained regularly about both the V&P and the CoC.

The People & Culture Guidelines, launched in 2024, align everyday actions to Sika’s strategic priorities and strengthen the importance of adhering to global standards and internal people-related policies. They define key principles for each process along the employee lifecycle and outline desired behaviors that Sika expects from its workforce, thus contributing to creating an attractive, safe and inclusive working environment.

The People & Culture Guidelines recognize employees as Sika’s most important assets and their continuous learning and development as paramount to the future success of the company. Sika lives a performance-based culture that fosters employee development and enables employees to grow, make use of a variety of formal and informal learning opportunities, and perform at their best. All employees are empowered to take ownership of their own career development and are encouraged to gain knowledge and skills through a comprehensive development portfolio.

Values & Principles (V&P), reflect Sika’s corporate culture through the following principles: “Customer First”, “Courage for Innovation” “Manage for Results”, “Sustainability and Integrity”, and “Empowerment and Respect” In the explanatory notes to “Sustainability and Integrity, “Sika underscores its aspiration to “... enhance economic, social, and environmental progress in all countries and communities we operate in.” The notes further state that, “through the Sika Community Engagement Program (Sika Cares) and dedicated volunteer work, we are actively supporting social and educational projects in local communities. As a member of the UN Global Compact, we are committed to global sustainable development.”

Community Engagement Guidelines provide information on how to plan, run, and monitor projects in the domain of community engagement to ensure a common and consistent approach for all local Sika subsidiaries. For each new local community engagement initiative above CHF 10,000, the procedure is as follows:

• General Managers of Sika subsidiaries submit a request for a project in their country with a project description, including cost/resources, impact, and duration, to the Regional/Area Manager.
• Projects are evaluated by the corporate teams of Corporate Communications and Innovation and Sustainability in cooperation with the Regional/Area Manager.
• The Regional Manager give project approval.

The Sika Community Engagement Guideline assigns responsibility for monitoring and evaluating processes to the Corporate Communication and Innovation and Sustainability teams. Local companies must share current project information quarterly through the sustainability reporting system. A summary of the community engagement activities is published annually on the corporate website.

The Sika Code of Conduct (CoC) emphasizes and strengthens Sika's commitment to human rights, labor rights (including the prohibition of child labor, forced labor or modern slavery), equality, diversity, inclusion, speak-up culture, anti-corruption, environmental protection, and overall sustainability. The CoC is available in 46 languages. All employees joining Sika receive a copy in the local language and must confirm their commitment to the CoC by signing it. An e-learning about the CoC is made available in many languages, and all employees working digitally are asked to complete it. All other employees receive classroom training.