Integrity Line

For us as a company, the receipt and subsequent investigation of reports is an opportunity to constantly scrutinise and improve our actions as well as our guidelines and processes. By reporting concerns, compliance risks such as possible reputational damage can be recognised and averted at an early stage.

We want to ensure lawful behaviour in our company and at the same time make it easy to submit reports if necessary. Our basic premise is that any misconduct or violations will be addressed directly face-to-face. This means that any accidental or unintentional misconduct can be stopped quickly and easily and avoided in the future.

If, in individual cases, a face-to-face dialogue does not lead to the desired result, the Blum Integrity Line is available.

• Information that could demonstrate a violation of United States or State law. This information could include environmental protection, product safety and compliance, financial services, protection of privacy, or personal data, for example.
• Reports that refer to the Blum Code of Conduct.

• Summary of the facts: what actually happened?
• Who is involved or affected? (Name, number of people, etc.)
• Where did the incident occur? (Company, plant, department, etc.)
• When did the incident occur? (Date/time)
• How many times did this incident occur? Is the incident still ongoing?
• What immediate measures were taken?
• Is there any proof? (Photos, videos, documents, witnesses)

You can provide your contact details or submit the report anonymously. Reports can be submitted in English. Reports that are submitted in other languages will not be followed up.

Reports are submitted by completing a digital form, which is electronically "registered". All reports are collected centrally and confidentially processed by the responsible members of the Blum Integrity Line team. These individuals are instructed to:

• Evaluate issues for the improvement of internal processes and pass them on to the respective departments
• Take all concerns seriously and investigate these efficiently and in good time
• Assess matters objectively and without prejudice
• Take appropriate corrective measures and propose sanctions to the Executive Board if concerns are found to be valid
• Document all case-relevant information including the decision made

If you included your name when you submitted the notification, you will receive a direct response by email. With anonymous submissions, you will receive a code that can be used to log into a personal mailbox and obtain updates and enter further information.

Receipt of a report will be confirmed directly. Questions can be sent via email or the personal mailbox. Three months after confirmation of receipt at the latest, you as the whistleblower will receive information about what follow-up measures are intended, have been taken or why the report is not being followed up.

If you do not wish to be contacted, please include this in your message.

Depending on the circumstances, reports may be forwarded for further processing within the company.

Any and all employees filing a report through our whistleblowing system are protected (Blum, Inc. Open Door Policy), both simply being a whistleblower and if you so choose also as to your identity (unless legal authorities need to be involved). The Blum, Inc. Open Door Policy protects you from reprisals such as dismissal, negative performance reviews or other disciplinary measures.

External persons using the system are also protected. If such person is a partner in distribution, sourcing, or otherwise a contractual partner, he or she is protected from reprisals such as termination of the contractual relationship or negative performance review.

Protection does not apply though, if the facts reported are incorrect or negligently or intentionally false or slanderous.

Blum, Inc will protect your confidentiality as a whistleblower from disclosure to the degree we can; however, if legal authorities must be involved, confidentiality might not be possible.

We prefer to talk to you in person and would like to offer you the option of contacting us personally with your concerns. To do so, please use the email address code.of.conduct.us@blum.com .

If you have already submitted a report, please enter your code here: