RKW signs Charta for Diversity

Mannheim (Germany), July 6, 2020 – RKW has signed the Charta for Diversity and sets a clear sign for diversity and appreciation within the company.

It is the aim of the Charta for Diversity ("Charta für Vielfalt") "to promote the recognition, appreciation and integration of diversity into Germany's business culture. Organisations should create a working environment free of biases. All employees should be valued - regardless of age, ethnic origin and nationality, gender, religion and worldview, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation and social background", as the not-for-profit corporate initiative says. The RKW Group now officially endorses these principles and goals.

"Valuing diversity in our daily lives is and will remain an essential part of RKW. In addition to our core values of reliability and respect, we also promote a culture of equal opportunity, open engagement, mutual appreciation and trust," says Harald Biederbick, CEO of RKW SE. By signing the Charta, which the entire international management team of the RKW Group has done, the company expresses that it is one hundred percent behind the ideals and goals of the Charta für Vielfalt.

The company expresses this also in a corporate guideline that states precisely these goals: "Diversity in our workforce will continue to increase as a result of social and economic developments. In particular, demographic change, competition for skilled workers, and the pluralization of lifestyles and forms of work are developments that will lead to even more diversity within the RKW Group. In addition, diverse teams and leaders lead to more and better innovation and improved financial performance," says Harald Biederbick.
The purpose of this Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) policy is to ensure fair and non-discriminatory labor practices and compliance with equality and discrimination laws in the jurisdictions where RKW operates. The company also aims to promote diversity and an inclusive work environment throughout the Group.

Culture of diversity long lived

Signing the Charta and adopting the corporate policy are clear signs of what the company stands for. However, even before that, RKW has embraced the issues of equity, diversity and inclusion, promoting internal dialog. For example, on International Women's Day on March 8, more than 200 participants in a panel discussion debated, among other things, how diversity and equal opportunities could be promoted more effectively.

As Samira Montag, Specialist Talent Acquisition, explains, "a manufacturing company like RKW, we traditionally have a low proportion of women. We therefore pay particular attention to promoting diverse teams. We rely on a multi-stage selection process with different interview participants, which enables us to gain different perspectives and reduce unconscious prejudices - so-called biases. We believe diverse teams and leadership not only create a better world, but also have a positive impact on innovation and performance. Finding and hiring diverse talent, supporting and developing it, is therefore a very high priority for us. By signing the Diversity Charta and introducing a global ED&I policy, we are underlining our commitment and setting a Group-wide standard."

The Charta der Vielfalt is a corporate initiative to promote diversity in companies and institutions. It was initiated in December 2006 by four companies and is supported by the Commissioner for the German Federal Government for Migration, Refugees and Integration, State Minister Annette Widmann-Mauz.

About the RKW Group

The RKW Group is an independent private company headquartered in Mannheim, Germany, and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of excellent film solutions. RKW is the market leader in the areas of hygiene and agricultural films, films for the beverage industry and packaging for powdery goods. Moreover, the company also supplies films and nonwovens for medical applications, for the chemical and processing industries as well as for the construction sector. The RKW Group's sustainable plastic-based films enable its customers to improve the daily lives of consumers worldwide.

RKW employs approximately 3,000 people at 19 locations worldwide. In line with the company's slogan "When excellence matters", the company, founded in 1957, focuses on excellence in quality and service. Respect and reliability are RKW's core values and form the basis of the company's success.