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Member of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC)

The RJC is a standards-setting organisation established to advance responsible ethical, human rights, social and environmental practices throughout the gold, silver, platinum group metals, diamond and coloured gemstone jewellery supply chain.
The RJC has developed a benchmark standard for the jewellery supply chain and credible mechanisms for verifying responsible business practices through third-party auditing.

CoC – Chain of Custody

In an era where ethical and sustainable practices are increasingly prioritized, the jewellery industry is no exception. Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) Chain of Custody certification ensures that from the initial sourcing of raw materials to the final product, every step adheres to the highest ethical standards.

CoP – Code of Practice

As an RJC certified member, we commit to operating our business in accordance with the RJC Code of Practices. We commit to integrating ethical, human rights, social and environmental considerations into our day-to-day operations, business planning activities and decision-making processes.

Compliance with Due Diligence Obligations in the Supply Chain

IWG – Ing. W. Garhöfer Ges.m.b.H. gives top priority to ethical practices in the sourcing of its materials. We take significant steps to ensure that our precious metals sourcing does not involve CAHRA’s (Conflict Affected and High RIsk Areas). Our commitment to responsible sourcing is absolute and we guarantee our dedication to ethical practices in every aspect of our sourcing process.

Supply Chain Policy from Conflict Affected and High Risk Areas

At IWG Ing. W. Garhöfer Ges.m.b.H. , we are committed to conducting our business responsibly in line with the principles and values of our Code of Conduct >> Code of Conduct.pdf

This ethical approach includes taking all possible measures to ensure that the materials we use in our products are sourced from businesses that follow the law, respect the human rights, the rights rights of workers and the communities in which they operate.

To this end, IWG Ing. W. Garhöfer Ges.m.b.H. implements this policy on responsible sourcing throughout our supply chain of gold, silver, and platinum group metals (PGMs), that is intended to affirm our commitment to respect human rights, avoid contributing to finance conflicts and comply with all applicable laws, regulations and national and international conventions, relevant UN sanctions and resolutions.

Code of Conduct Compliance

Compliance with our business principles is a natural part of our daily work: unconditional respect for accepted ethical principles, such as respect for human rights, respect for the different cultural backgrounds of our staff and business partners and the strict adherence to existing laws. We conduct regular training and compliance training for our employees. We conduct regular training and compliance training for our employees.

Grievance Mechanism

We inform you that IWG Ing. W. Garhöfer Ges.m.b.H. has established a confidential communication channel in order to collect suggestions, concerns, requests and information, even anonymously, regarding any internal or external practice or action that may cause dangers to human rights or raise ethical concerns. This channel is structured and equipped with specific systems to collect and manage reports and information, even in anonymous form, relating to critical issues, risk situations or discrepancies concerning ANY CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN involving GOLD, SILVER, PLATINUM GROUP METALS FROM AREAS OF CONFLICT.

Please fill out this form, anonymously if you prefer!

Furthermore, we wish to inform our employees they can submit reports and complaints regarding any internal or external practice or action that they may deem harmful to human rights or regarding any vulnerability, internally to your supervisor, manager or directly to the Human Resources department. Alternatively, employees can use the same GRIEVANCE MECHANISM described above.
IWG Ing. W. Garhöfer Ges.m.b.H. is committed to promoting an ethical and transparent work environment in which employees feel free to report concerns, violations or inappropriate behavior without fear of reprisal or negative consequences. This non-retaliation policy aims to protect those who report in good faith by ensuring that reports are treated confidentially and that any punitive action against them is prohibited.
This policy applies to all employees of IWG Ing. W. Garhöfer Ges.m.b.H., regardless of their role, title or position within the company.

Fundamental principles:

1. Protection of Confidentiality: Grievances will be treated with the outmost confidentiality. Only people directly involved in managing the grievance will have access to the information.
2. Non Retaliation: You are prohibited from taking any retaliatory or punitive action against those who make reports in good faith, regardless of whether the report led to evidence of violations.
3. Right to Protection: Anyone who reports in good faith will be protected from any form of discrimination, dismissal, penalization or unfavorable treatment based on the report itself.
4. Appropriate Management of Reports: Reports will be subject to a timely and thorough investigation. Those involved in the investigation will take action to ensure the appropriate and just resolution of the situation.
5. Open Communication: The company promotes a culture of open communication and encourages employees and any stakeholder even external to the company to report concerns or inappropriate behavior without hesitation.

Sanctions: Violation of this policy may result in disciplinary measures, including action up to and including dismissal, depending on the severity of the violation.

This non-retaliation policy for reporting is an integral part of the ethical values and corporate culture of IWG Ing. W. Garhöfer Ges.m.b.H. Each employee is encouraged to actively participate in promoting integrity and transparency in the work environment.

Upon receipt of a grievance, we will:

• Register the complaint and give it a complaint number and create a file
• If possible, we record how the complainant would like the complaint to be handled
• We decide who is able to handle the complaint internally or assist in forwarding the complaint to another body, such as the relevant supplier, or an institution, such as a relevant industry organization
• If we can resolve issues internally, we seek additional information where possible and appropriate to get a clear picture.
• Either identify our intervention or monitor the situation
• Where possible, we will notify the complainant of any decisions or outcomes
• The documentation will be kept for at least five years