Responsible: Human Rights Officer at Audi

Daniel Patnaik has been the Human Rights Officer for the Audi Group since January 1, 2023. In this independent role, he is the first point of contact for all human rights concerns on the part of the authorities, policymakers and society. One of his key tasks is to monitor the appropriateness and effectiveness of risk management for ensuring compliance with the due diligence obligations arising from the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and to perform all control measures in accordance with the risk. In this respect, he performs the tasks provided for in section 4(3) of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and reports as part of his role directly to the Board of Management of AUDI AG.

The Audi Group attaches particular importance to:

• Prohibition of child labor, forced labor and slavery
• Occupational health and safety
• Freedom of association
• Prohibition of unequal treatment in employment
• Payment of an adequate living wage
• Prohibition of illegal forced displacement
• Observance of corresponding standards in hiring security forces

These human rights protected assets are supplemented by environment-related protected assets. These obligations, and binding obligations related to them, are determined by the Audi environmental policy and the Environmental Compliance Management System.

AUDI AG has embedded its expectations of employees and business partners in its binding Code of Conduct, published them and made them a fixed component of contracts governing business relationships. Numerous internal policies specify these goals and expectations in the Audi sphere of activity in greater detail. The company actively communicates these and carries out training measures for employees, in particular managers, and supplier companies on a continuous basis.

To fulfill due diligence obligations in the interest of the people, Audi has established multilevel risk management that focuses both inward at the company itself as well as outward at the supply chain and at the impact of Audi activities on people and the environment. The company identifies, analyzes and prioritizes human rights and environment-related risks and derives preventive or remedial measures from them. This is carried out at least once a year or on an ad hoc basis whenever there is the need to take appropriate action to tackle newly emerging risks or incidents.

Changes of perspective are important for Audi. The company thus invites experts from business, academic and scientific communities, associations, trade unions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to dialogue events. This form of open exchange with various stakeholders contributes to an even better understanding of the situation in the supply chain – down to the raw materials and the mining thereof – and to the development and implementation of concepts that can lead to structural change.

In addition, for years Audi has supported the German federal government’s National Action Plan for implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. To this end, as part of an automotive industry dialogue, the company works together with representatives from trade unions, associations, civil society and the academic, political and business communities on developing further solutions for respecting human rights in the value chain.