the ethical code
To join and partecipate in the activities of the Verona Furniture protection Consortium, it is necessary to adhere to the following ethical code, available also in PDF format.
1. The companies participating in the Verona Furniture Protection Consortium must be “commercially correct“, that is, they must behave in a positive way to the following points:
- respect payment times towards suppliers and service providers.
- respect the promised service standards: delivery times, quality of work.
- show transparency with regard to any payment difficulties or service-level deficits, demonstrating openness and willingness to find a solution.
For all these points it is specified that the evaluation yardstick is represented by contracts and commercial agreements between the entities in question.
Regarding the quality of the product, the consortium will promote a “Quality committee” which will establish evaluation criteria and procedures.
2. Commitment to confidentiality about the strategic information related to the initiatives (commercial and of synergy in purchases) carried out in the group.
What information should not be disclosed?
- That which can create benefits to third parties at the expense of the Consortium or any of its members
- That concerning commercial and marketing initiatives
- That concerning advantages in terms of purchasing marketing
- That concerning information related to the survey of the Furniture Watchdog;
What information can be disseminated?
All information that constitutes a form of advertising for the group and the information concerning methods of joining the group. On the contrary, the members are encouraged to involve additional companies linked to them by collaborative relationships. That which serves to create a culture of sharing and a change of mentality in the territory.
3. Commitment not to copy a series or a model of furniture: constitute violations
the idea of sharing and transparency, the fact of copying series and models not only of the members of the Consortium but in general of all the companies of the territory.
The question concerning the reproduction of “fashionable” models by producers of customised pieces can be an exception given the particular nature of their work:in any case, this exception must be reported and addressed by the group.
Who decides if there was a copy? The board and the organizational group on the basis of the evidence provided by whoever makes the plagiarism report.
4. Damage of image: companies that adopt a line of communication and behavior in clear contrast to that shared in the mission and in the card of the values of the Consortium constitute damage of image to the group.
The damage can be twofold:
a) Behavioral: the company promotes values that can cause image damage (it makes open political propaganda, promotes institutional discriminatory and offensive messages on its own spaces…)
b) Of communication: the company promotes messages in its communicative spaces in contrast to the Consortium policy (such as creating one campaign against the use of wood or against the territorial identity of the furniture of Verona)
5. Proper use of the logo and its membership in the Consortium: use the logo and the reference to the Consortium and to all the commercial brands developed by it only in contexts approved by the group and for purposes in line with the communication idea of the group. In the case of adhesion to contexts different from those dealt with during Organizational meetings it will be fundamental to request an evaluation from the group itself. Vice versa, companies belonging to the Consortium accept to insert the group logo on their websites and, within the limits of what does not involve excessive additional costs, in the various forms of corporate image and corporate advertising. As regards participation in fairs, the company can and must promote the its single identity, reserving a space and a reference to the brand “Furniture of Verona” following the modalities,decided from time to time, by the working group that will be dedicated to the commercial theme.
6. Enhancement of the industry: the companies belonging to the Consortium are committed to enhancing the entire supply chain inside, creating an open and interchangeable environment.
7. Active participation: each company undertakes to participate in the life and activities of the consortium in the first instance by attending institutional meetings with a percentage equal to at least 70% of the total of the latter. Secondly, it commits itself to cooperating actively in the success of the promoted actions.
Every four months, Lignum explains to the consortia the economic and financial results of the management. It can always be asked the Responsible (Dr. Riccardo Rossetti) to view the data at any time of the year