Data Privacy

Table of contents 

1. Contact details of the controller
2. Contact details of the data protection officer
3. Your data protection rights
4. How do we obtain information? 
5. General data processing on our website 
   a. Personal data that we collect when you access our website
   b. Personal data that we collect when you contact us
   c. Personal data that we collect when you subscribe to our newsletter
6. Social media channels
   a. Facebook and Instagram
   b. LinkedIn
   c. WeChat
   d. YouTube
7. TLS encryption
8. Information on your right to object in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR
9. Changes to our privacy policy

 

The protection of your data and your privacy is our top priority. We want to ensure that your personal data is kept secure and that we comply with applicable data protection laws. Below, we explain how we handle your data. The data we process and how we use it depends on the services you have requested or agreed to. 

Information about the cookies and analysis and tracking tools used can be found at here.

1. Contact details of the controller 

Freudenberg Performance Materials Holding GmbH is the controller for the personal data we process, unless otherwise stated. You can contact us by post, telephone and email: 

Freudenberg Performance Materials Holding GmbH
Höhnerweg 2-4
69469 Weinheim
Telephone: +49 6201 8999
Email: info@freudenberg-pm.com

2. Contact details of the data protection officer

If you would like to contact our external data protection officer, you can reach them by email or post: 

c/o activeMind.legal Law Firm
Potsdamer Str. 3
80802 Munich
Telephone: 089 919294900
Email: freudenbergpm@activemind.legal

3. Your data protection rights

Under data protection laws, you have rights that we must inform you about. The rights you are entitled to depend on the reason why we process your data. 

Your right to information: You have the right to request information from us about all personal data we hold about you. 

Your right to rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any information that you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request that we complete any information that you believe is incomplete.  

Your right to erasure: You have the right to request that we erase your personal data in certain circumstances.  

Your right to restrict processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances. 

Your right to object: You have the right to object to processing if we process your data on the basis of our legitimate interests. If you have given us your consent, you can withdraw it at any time with effect for the future. 

Your right to data portability: This only applies to information that you have provided to us. You have the right to request that we transfer the information you have provided to another organisation or hand it over to you. This right only applies if we process information based on your consent or in the context of a contract and the processing is automated.  

Your right to complain: We work to high standards when processing your personal data. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact freudenbergpm@activemind.legal. If you are still dissatisfied, you can lodge a complaint about the way we process your personal data with a supervisory authority. A list of supervisory authorities (for the non-public sector) with addresses can be found at: https://www.bfdi.bund.de/EN/Service/Anschriften/Laender/Laender-node.html.

4. How do we obtain information?

Most of the personal data we process is provided to us directly by you. This usually happens for one of the following reasons: 

  • You have submitted a request to us. 
  • You have subscribed to our e-newsletter. 
  • You visit our website and agree to the use of cookies.

5. General data processing on our website 

a. Personal data that we collect when you access our website 

Type and purpose of processing: When you visit our website without registering or providing any other information, we automatically collect general information. This information (server log files) may include details such as the web browser used, the operating system, the domain name of the Internet service provider, the IP address, the referrer URL, and the date and time of access. 

This data is processed for the following purposes: 

  • To ensure a smooth connection to the website; 
  • To ensure the smooth use of our website; 
  • To ensure and evaluate the security and stability of the system, in particular to detect misuse; 
  • To ensure the technically error-free display and optimisation of our website. 

We do not use your data to draw conclusions about your person. However, in the event of concrete indications of illegal use, we reserve the right to subsequently check the server log files. 

Legal basis and legitimate interest: Processing is based on our legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) in improving the stability and functionality of our website, ensuring system security and detecting misuse. 

Recipients: We use technical service providers to operate and maintain our website, who act as our processors. All service providers are contractually obliged to treat your data confidentially. 

Storage period: The data is stored in server log files in a form that allows to identify the persons concerned for up to 90 days , provided that no security-related event occurs (e.g. a DDoS attack). In the event of such an incident, the server log files will be stored until the security-related problem has been resolved and fully clarified. 

Required or necessary provision: The provision of personal data is neither legally nor contractually required. However, without the above-mentioned data, we cannot guarantee the service and functionality of our website. In addition, certain services and/or content may not be available or may only be available to a limited extent. 

Right to object: Please read the information below regarding your right to object in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR.

b. Personal data that we collect when you contact us

Type and purpose of processing: Our website features a contact form that can be used to contact us electronically as well as for product enquiries. If a user takes advantage of this option, the data entered in the input mask will be transmitted to us and stored. 

  • The following data is also stored when the message is sent: 
  • Date and time of the enquiry 
  • URL from which the enquiry was made 
  • Selected page language 
  • User identification ("by user") 

Alternatively, you can contact us via the email address provided. In this case, the personal data transmitted with the email will be stored. This includes the date and time the email was sent, the email address, IP addresses and information about the servers involved in the email communication. 

You can also contact us via the telephone number provided. Please note that in this case we will collect log data containing your telephone number and the duration of the call. Calls are not recorded.  

Regardless of the communication method you choose, we store the content of your enquiry. We store your data for the purpose of communicating with you individually. 

Legal basis and legitimate interest: Processing is based on our legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) in enabling you to contact us easily. If you request a quote from us, the data you enter in the contact form will be used for pre-contractual purposes (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). 

Recipients: We use technical service providers for the operation and maintenance of our website, who act as our processors. All service providers are contractually obliged to treat your data confidentially. 

Storage period: The data is generally deleted six months after the request has been processed. If your request is transferred to our CRM system (e.g. as part of a request for a quote or when initiating a business relationship), we store the data there for up to ten years. The storage period serves our internal documentation and traceability of customer relationships and also reflects applicable statutory retention obligations. 

Required or necessary provision: The provision of personal data is neither legally nor contractually required. However, we can only process your enquiry if you provide us with the necessary information and details regarding the reasons for your enquiry. 

Right to object: Please read the information below regarding your right to object in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR.

c. Personal data that we collect when you subscribe to our newsletter

Type and purpose of processing: In order to send our newsletter, we collect personal data that you provide to us via an input mask. We require a valid email address in order to successfully register you.  

In order to verify that a registration is actually made by the owner of a specific e-mail address, we use the double opt-in procedure (DOI) for online registrations. This means that after registering for the newsletter, you will receive an e-mail in which you must confirm your registration for the newsletter once again.  

In addition to your email address and opt-in status, the following data is also stored during DOI confirmation:  

  • Time stamp 
  • URL from which the request was made 
  • Legal basis: We send our newsletter and evaluate it on the basis of your consent, Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR. 

Recipients: We use service providers who act as processors for us to send and evaluate the newsletter. All service providers are contractually obliged to treat your data confidentially. 

Storage period: In this context, the data will only be processed for as long as the relevant consent is available. 

Required or necessary provision: The provision of your personal data is voluntary and is based solely on your consent. We cannot store your data and use it to send you our newsletter without your consent. 

Revocation of consent: You can withdraw your consent to the storage of your personal data and its use for sending the newsletter at any time. You will find a corresponding link in every newsletter. You can also withdraw your consent via the other contact options offered on the website.  

Profiling: If you have given us your consent, we evaluate your interaction with the newsletters sent and evaluate subsequent visits to our website in order to further improve the newsletter and the website and optimise them in line with the actual interests of visitors.

6. Social media channels

The following section contains information about the company profiles we maintain on various social media channels. 

General information: We are represented on various social networks. Below you will find information about the company profiles we maintain on various social media channels. For information on the storage and use of your data, as well as your rights and settings options for protecting your privacy, please refer to the data protection information provided by the respective network operator. 

We are represented on the following social networks: 

  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook and Instagram  
  • YouTube 
  • WeChat

We do not use social plugins or other interfaces on our websites, but link to our presence on social media providers.  

We have no influence on the processing of personal data by social networks. For example, we have no knowledge of the extent to which, where and for how long the data is stored, to what extent the networks comply with existing deletion obligations, what evaluations and links are made with the data, and to whom the data is passed on. We therefore expressly point out that user data (e.g. personal details, IP address) is stored by the operators of social media platforms in accordance with their data usage guidelines and used for business purposes. 

We process your personal data when you contact us via our social media profiles by using the functions provided for this purpose (e.g. messages, comment function, posts) or access the content we provide (e.g. videos). If you contact us in this way, we process your directly visible personal data (usually: user name, profile picture, content of the message including any photos contained therein, date and time of the interaction) in order to respond to your contact or to provide you with the content you have requested. We also process your personal data in order to present our company to the outside world and to provide information about our products. 

Page statistics: Social media operators provide us with usage statistics (known as analytics services or page statistics) for our social media pages. These statistics are based on the actions and interactions of our followers (e.g. likes, shares, comments, etc., number of followers, access data for specific page areas, reach of a post and demographic statistics about followers, including age, language, origin or interests). These statistics help us to: 

  • interact with our followers and interested parties, 
  • understand the use and reach of our posts, 
  • evaluate content and determine usage preferences, 
  • design our pages on social media platforms to be as target group-oriented as possible. 

Please note that we have no influence on the creation and processing of these usage statistics and the underlying data, nor do we have access to them; this is the sole responsibility of the operator of the respective social media platform. 

The information stored in the cookies is received, stored and processed by the operators of the respective social media platforms. This also includes services provided by the operator or operator group of the social media platforms, as well as services provided by other companies that use the social media platforms and are accessed by the user. In addition, other entities such as partners or third parties may also set cookies on social media platforms in order to provide services to companies advertising on these platforms. For more information about the use of cookies by the operators, please refer to their privacy policies, which we provide below in the notes on the respective social media provider.  

On this basis, we and the operators of the social media platforms are considered "joint controllers" within the meaning of the GDPR. Accordingly, we have concluded the necessary agreement in accordance with Art. 26 GDPR, insofar as the operator of the social media platform permits this: 

Legal basis: Processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest. Our legitimate interest lies in establishing contact with (potential) customers and interested parties, presenting our company externally and providing information about our products and services. 

Recipients: Information on the recipients of the data can be found in the following sections of the respective social media providers. 

Storage period: We do not store any personal data processed on social networks on our servers.  

Required or necessary provision: The provision of your data is voluntary. If you wish to interact with us, there are alternative ways to contact us, for example by email and telephone. 

Third country transfer and guarantees: Information on the transfer of data to countries outside the EU/EEA can be found in the sections of the respective social media providers below. 

Right to object: Please read the information about your right to object under Article 21 of the GDPR below. You also have the option of objecting to the respective platform operator:  

a. Facebook and Instagram

We operate a company page on Facebook and Instagram. The provider of the platforms is Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, "Meta" (4 Grand Canal Square Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland). 

As a user, you use our company website and its functions at your own risk. This applies in particular to interactive functions (e.g. commenting, sharing, liking). Meta processes personal data about your account, your IP address and the devices you use. Cookies are also used for data collection.  

If you have a Facebook/Instagram profile and are logged in, Meta can, for example, analyse your usage behaviour and create a usage profile based on this behaviour. This user data is regularly processed for market research and (personalised) advertising purposes. If you want to avoid this, you should log out of your Facebook/Instagram profile or deactivate the "stay logged in" function, delete the cookies on your device, and close and restart your browser. This will delete the Facebook/Instagram information that can be used to identify you directly. This allows you to use our Facebook/Instagram page without revealing your Facebook/Instagram ID. If you use interactive features of the page (e.g. liking, commenting, sharing, sending messages, etc.), a Facebook/Instagram login screen will appear. Once you log in, Meta will recognise you as a specific user. 

For more information about Meta Ireland's processing of your data, in particular the storage period and your rights, please refer to Meta's privacy policy, which you can view at https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/.  

Information on how to change your privacy settings can be found at https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/196883487377501?cms_id=196883487377501.     

If you wish to make a request for information or exercise your user rights, you can do so with us or Meta.  

Third country transfer and guarantees: The recipient of the data is Meta Platforms Ireland Limited. The parent company Meta Platforms Inc. is based in the USA, so a transfer to the USA cannot be ruled out. Meta is certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework and bases the transfer to the USA on the adequacy decision.

b. LinkedIn 

We operate a company profile on LinkedIn. This platform is operated by LinkedIn Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.  

LinkedIn processes, in particular, data that you have already provided to LinkedIn via the information in your profile. In addition, LinkedIn processes information about how you interact with our LinkedIn company page, e.g. whether you are a follower of our LinkedIn company page. LinkedIn does not transfer any personal data to us. We only receive statistics and insights in anonymised form. It is also not possible for us to draw conclusions about individual members from the page statistics.  

For more information about data processing by LinkedIn, please refer to LinkedIn's privacy policy at https://linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.   

Information on changing your privacy settings can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a1337839.    

In accordance with our agreement with LinkedIn, LinkedIn is responsible for responding to requests from data subjects. To do so, you can contact LinkedIn online at https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/ask/PPQ?lang=en or via the contact details provided in the privacy policy. However, you can also contact us using the contact details provided on our website to exercise your rights in relation to the processing of personal data within the scope of Page Insights. In this case, we will forward your request to LinkedIn. 

Third country transfer and guarantees: The recipient of the data is LinkedIn Unlimited. The parent company LinkedIn Corporation is based in the USA, so a transfer to the USA cannot be ruled out. LinkedIn is certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework and bases the transfer to the USA on the adequacy decision.

c. WeChat 

We have a company profile on WeChat. The provider for users in the European Economic Area and Switzerland is: Tencent International Service Europe BV, Buitenveldertselaan 1-5, 1082 VA Amsterdam, Netherlands . For users outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland (subject to the information below): Tencent International Service Pte. Ltd., 10 Anson Road, #21-07 International Plaza, Singapore 079903. 

As soon as you visit our profile on WeChat or interact with this page, WeChat processes personal data. We have no influence on the type and scope of data processed by Kununu. We would like to point out that you use the WeChat channel offered here and its functions at your own risk. For details on how they handle your personal data, please refer to WeChat's privacy policy: https://www.wechat.com/en/privacy_policy.html 

WeChat stores your data for different lengths of time depending on the type of data. For more information on the storage period, please refer to WeChat's privacy policy. 

Third country transfer and guarantees: By using WeChat, data may be transferred to Singapore and SAR Hong Kong. Singapore does not have an adequacy decision from the European Commission. WeChat has concluded standard contractual clauses of the European Commission for this purpose.

d. YouTube 

We are also on YouTube to provide videos. YouTube is a service provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland. 

When you use YouTube, your personal data is collected, transmitted, stored, shared and used by Google. Google analyses your user behaviour and creates a corresponding usage profile, regardless of whether you have a Google account. This information can be used to tailor content or advertising to you.  

YouTube collects data about the actions visitors take on our channel. This is used to compile statistics on the use of our videos, which we receive in aggregated, i.e. anonymised, form. If you do not actively interact with our channel, e.g. by leaving a comment under a video, we are unable to draw any conclusions about individual channel visitors at any time. 

If you are logged into your Google or YouTube account, YouTube can associate your surfing behaviour with you personally. If you are not logged into a Google or YouTube account, less data is stored. Nevertheless, Google stores data with a unique identifier linked to your device, browser or app. 

For more information about how Google processes your data, in particular the storage period and your rights, please refer to Google's privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US, which also applies to YouTube. 

Information on changing your privacy settings can be found at https://policies.google.com/privacy.    

If you wish to make an enquiry or exercise your user rights, you can assert these rights against us or Google.  

Third country transfer and guarantees: The recipient of the data is Google Ireland Limited. The parent company Google LLC is based in the USA, so a transfer to the USA cannot be ruled out. Google is certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework and bases the transfer to the USA on the adequacy decision.

7. TLS encryption

We only process personal data in accordance with data protection regulations. We also endeavour to take all necessary technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access and misuse at all times. 

Where we store or process personal data, this is done in a highly secure data centre. To ensure the security of your data during transmission, we use encryption methods (e.g. SSL) via HTTPS. Our servers are protected by a firewall and virus protection. Back-up and recovery procedures as well as role and authorisation concepts are a matter of course for us. 

Our employees are obliged to comply with the provisions of the GDPR and national data protection laws when processing data.

8. Information on your right to object in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR 

Right to object in individual cases 

You have the right to object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to the processing of personal data concerning you which is carried out on the basis of Article 6(1)(f) GDPR (data processing based on a balancing of interests); this also applies to profiling based on this provision within the meaning of Article 4(4) GDPR. 

If you object, we will no longer process your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing serves to assert, exercise or defend legal claims. 

Recipients of an objection 

The objection can be sent informally to the above contact details, stating the subject "Objection" and your name, e-mail address or other identification data.

9. Changes to our privacy policy

We reserve the right to change this privacy policy so that it always complies with current legal requirements or to implement changes to our services in the privacy policy, e.g. when introducing new services. The new privacy policy will then apply to your next visit. 

Do you have questions?

Please contact our team who will answer your query promptly.

Contact us now