Ethics and Integrity

»At Olympus, we recognize the damage that bribery and corruption can cause to society. As set forth in our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, we take pride in conducting our business with a strong sense of fairness, honesty, and ethics. Olympus signed the 10 principles of the United Nations Global Compact and declared its full commitment to these recognized international standards which include, amongst others, combating corruption and bribery. In this way, the Olympus Europa Group has a zero tolerance approach to bribery and corruption and strives to conduct business without the use of corrupt practices or acts of bribery to obtain an unfair advantage. This zero tolerance approach applies to all Olympus employees and officers.

To achieve this, the Olympus Europa Group is committed to the following:

• Refusing to make bribes, or authorizing the making of bribes on Olympus’ behalf, with the intention to gain a business advantage;
• Refusing to accept bribes, or agreeing to them being accepted on Olympus’ behalf, with the intention to unfairly influence business;
• Ensuring that all Olympus employees and officers in Europe know the values and principles set forth in our Code of Ethics;
• Avoiding business relationships with third parties who do not accept or follow the ten principles of the UN Global Compact;
• Developing and implementing guidelines and processes to avoid bribery, as well as other illegal practices at Olympus; and
• Regularly reviewing and updating relevant procedures, as deemed necessary.

The prevention, detection and reporting of bribery and corruption is the responsibility of all Olympus employees and officers in Europe. All individuals and organizations that have business relationships with Olympus, such as distributors, suppliers, or any other business partners, are encouraged to help to avoid and prevent bribery and corruption and to contact Olympus if any important questions or concerns arise. Several points of contact are available to discuss or report any point or question in relation to bribery and corruption. All telephone numbers and E-mail addresses are made available on all European Olympus websites in local language. The information is also made available on the last page of our Olympus Europe Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, which may also be found on the European Olympus websites.«

Constantin Zangemeister, Executive Managing Director at Olympus Europa SE & Co. KG

What we do matters and how we act at work matters. Through these actions, we intend to maintain the trust of our stakeholders. Our Global Code of Conduct explains our unwavering commitment to integrity, our passion for what we do, and our shared standard of excellence. Our Code is designed to help put Our Purpose and Core Values into practice. It serves as our guide to ethical and responsible business conduct, along with local policies and procedures:

Olympus Global Code of Conduct: Because What We Do Matters

These Global Standards ("Global Standards") have been designed to provide guidance to our third parties on the fundamental values, principles, and standards of behavior which Olympus expects whenever a third party is engaged by or on behalf of the Olympus Group. We consider our third parties to be our partners in business and we expect the same high standard of integrity from them that we expect from our employees and managers.

Third Party: A third party is any external company, organization or individual, not owned, controlled, or employed by an Olympus Group company that Olympus has hired or intends to contract to provide goods or services or engage in business activities with or on behalf of an Olympus Group company.

The Global Standards are available through the following link:

Global Standards: What Olympus Expects of Third Parties

The Integrity Line is Olympus’ internal whistleblowing and reporting channel. It is available to all Olympus employees and Olympus Business Partners and can be used to report potential violations of the Olympus Code of Conduct, internal policies, or applicable laws.

The Integrity Line is operated by an independent external provider and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Reports may be submitted confidentially and, where permitted by applicable law, anonymously.

Please refer to the Integrity Line portal for further information on confidentiality, anonymity, follow-up, protection against retaliation, and the available reporting options.

How to reach the Integrity Line

You can access the Olympus Integrity Line through the Olympus Integrity Line portal:

Olympus Integrity Line

The portal provides the current reporting options for your location. You can submit a report online or use the available voice reporting option, including telephone reporting or web-based calling where available.

External reporting channels

In addition to Olympus contacts and internal reporting channels, reporters may also have the right to report externally to competent authorities.

The availability, scope and procedure of external reporting channels vary by country and may depend on the subject matter of the report. Reporters who wish to report externally should review the applicable local requirements and the external reporting channels available in their jurisdiction.

External reporting channels are operated by competent public authorities and are not controlled by Olympus. Information on the applicable procedure, confidentiality rules, follow-up process and scope of protection should be obtained from the relevant authority or official government sources in the respective country.