ESG@ECE Group
GOVERNANCE@
ECE GROUP
As a dependable business partner committed to values of fairness and integrity, ECE has developed a comprehensive compliance management system (CMS), which is continuously updated to reflect changing business activities and legislation. It covers areas such as anticorruption measures, money laundering prevention, business partner compliance/screenings (including checking sanctions lists), and antitrust law. The CMS is based on the ECE Code of Conduct, which provides guidance on these topics for employees. The Code of Conduct is complemented by the ECE Business Partner Standards, which all our business partners are required to sign up to. ECE’s CMS has been regularly certified by the Institute for Corporate Governance in the German Real Estate Industry (ICG) since 2014, most recently in 2023.
ESG, SUPPLY CHAIN ACT, AND DATA PROTECTION
ESG works to continuously improve our CMS. And when it comes to implementing the provisions of the Supply Chain Act (LkSG), to which ECE Marketplaces has been subject since January 1, 2024, all three aspects of ESG – the “E” and the “S” as well as the “G” – come into play. ECE has also developed a comprehensive data protection management system, with a focus on protecting customer data in shopping centers (especially in the context of on-site marketing activities and digital campaigns), protecting business partner and employee data, and providing support for IT projects. We use a combination of technical measures (such as multifactor authentication) and staff training to ensure compliance with information security standards. These standards are becoming increasingly stringent due to legal regulations and the requirements imposed by investors and insurers, and so ECE is currently building a future-proof information security management system (ISMS) that is compatible with the needs of the market. Challenges include averting cyberattacks, implementing AI applications, and upgrading IT infrastructure such as firewalls.