First Climate Data Protection Statement

Thank you for visiting our Website and for your interest in First Climate AG and the First Climate group of companies.

References in this Data Protection Statement to “we”, “our” or “First Climate” means First Climate AG and all companies within the First Climate Group.

First Climate takes the protection of your personal data very seriously. Personal data are collected on this Website only to the extent necessary and in compliance with relevant legislation.  Under no circumstances will we pass the data collected on to third parties outside the First Climate group of companies without your consent or unless required by the prevailing law. The following statement provides an overview of how your Personal Data is protected, the type of data collected and for what purpose.

1. Personal Data
Personal data means data which relates to a living individual who is identified or is identifiable (“Personal Data”). Personal Data includes facts such as your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. In certain cases we will ask you to provide your name, address and other details in order for us to be able to supply the services that you require.

If you subscribe to one of our news services, including our free Market Report and our free First Climate Insights, as a rule only such Personal Data will be collected as we need to supply such a service. In so far as we request further Personal Data from you, the provision of the information is voluntary. Processing of Personal Data will only be carried out for the purpose of providing the service that you have asked for and in the maintenance of our own justifiable business interests. If it is necessary to transfer Personal Data between the First Climate group companies for the purposes of providing a service, then the confidentiality of such data will be maintained.

2. Technical Data
While using this Website, data which is sent by your browser are collected and stored on our servers in an anonymous form and used solely for the purpose of optimizing this Website and system security. These data include the IP-address of your computer, the date and duration of the access and the website from which access to our Website is requested. We do not link these data, including your IP-address, to your individual Personal Data, which means that we will have a record of each user’s session but the user will remain anonymous to us.

3. Cookies
In order to make your visit to our Website as convenient as possible we use different types of Cookies. A “Cookie” is a tiny data file that a website can send to your browser in order to steer the online connection to a server. We use Cookies to monitor and manage traffic to our Website and to make our Website more user-friendly, effective and safe. Most of the Cookies used by us are so-called “Session Cookies” which are deleted after you exit our Website.

With most internet browsers, you can erase Cookies from your computer hard drive, block all Cookies or receive a warning before a Cookie is stored. If you want to know how to do this please look at the help menu on your web browser. However, please note that switching off or “opting out” of Cookies will mean that you may not be able to use certain features of the Website.

4. News Services: Newsletters and Press Releases
If you would like to subscribe for newsletters that we offer on this Website, such as the Market Report and the First Climate Insights, or if you would like to register to receive our Press Releases, we will need you to give us the following information in relation to each of these services: a valid E-Mail address, as well as information that enables us to check that you really are the owner of the E-Mail address, or that the owner is in agreement with the subscription for the relevant service. The collected data will not be passed on to third parties outside the First Climate group of companies without your prior consent.

You are free to revoke your consent to the storage of the data and e-mail address and to the use of the address for the dispatch of the relevant service at any time by sending an E-Mail to: dataprotection@firstclimate.com

5. Job Applications and Personal Data Protection
Job applicants can apply for a position within the First Climate group by uploading their application documents via this Website or, alternatively, by submitting a hardcopy application to the address stated in the job advertisement.

The Personal Data included in your application will be reviewed by the Human Resources department and the management personnel of one or more companies in the First Climate group that are closely associated with the advertised job. First Climate regards this as being necessary due to the close co-operation between the companies within the First Climate group in relation to our core business areas. When you submit your job application to the relevant First Climate company, you agree that for the purpose of considering your application for a particular job and for reasons of operational necessity, your Personal Data may be made accessible or passed on within the First Climate Group of companies.

There may be occasions where for the purposes of recurring vacancies, applications are shared across the First Climate group.  Before this occurs, you will be given the opportunity to consent to the sharing of your Personal Data for the purpose of being considered for other jobs within the First Climate group, which you have not expressly applied for.

In connection with the recruitment process, First Climate will of course comply with relevant Personal Data protection legislation and your Personal Data will be treated as confidential. Our employees have signed an undertaking to treat Personal Data with due care in accordance with the requirements of the relevant legislation.

In the event that your job application is unsuccessful, your Personal Data will be deleted immediately unless you expressly give your consent during the application process to First Climate retaining your Personal Data (and contacting you if needed) for a period of twelve months after the date that you submitted your job application.

Important Notice for Job Applicants: Please note that you are also welcome to submit a job application in a manner other than through this Website. However, if you choose to do so then we can only process your application if you include a statement in your application documents that you expressly consent to your Personal Data being made accessible or passed on within the First Climate group of companies for reasons of operational necessity. In the absence of such a statement, we regret that we will generally not be able to process your application.

6. Duration of Usage of Personal Data
Personal Data which is conveyed to us over the internet is only used for as long as it is required to fulfil the purpose for which it was provided and to comply with legal retention periods. Should you no longer be in agreement with the usage of your Personal Data or if this has become incorrect, if so instructed we will arrange for the data to be deleted or blocked or to make the necessary corrections (where this is possible under prevailing law).

7. Protection of Minors
Persons under 18 years of age should not give us their Personal Data without the consent of their parents or guardians. We do not request or knowingly collect Personal Data from children or young people and do not pass such information on to third parties.

8. Security Measures
First Climate applies technical and organizational security precautions to protect your Personal Data from manipulation, loss, destruction or access by unauthorized persons.

However, your attention is drawn to the fact that the internet is a global environment and that using the internet necessarily involves the transmission of data on an international basis. We accept no responsibility for the security of Personal Data transmitted via the internet.

9. Links to other Websites
Our Website may contain links and banner advertisements to other websites which are outside our control and not covered by this Data Protection Statement (“third party websites”). If you access any third party websites using the links provided, the operators of these third party websites may collect information from you which will be used by them in accordance with their privacy policies, which may differ from ours. We do not accept any responsibility for such third party websites, including without limitation, for their accuracy, security, the products and services which they offer or for any information which is collected through them. You are responsible for reviewing and abiding by the privacy policies and website terms and conditions of any such third party websites.

10. Modifications to this Data Protection Statement
First Climate reserves the right to modify or amend this Data Protection Statement at any time. Please check back periodically, and especially before you provide any personally identifiable information.

11. Right to Further Information and Contact for Questions
You have the right to be informed about your Personal Data stored by us and its use. If you wish to access information which we hold about you, or if have any questions concerning the capture, processing, or use of your Personal Data, then please contact the First Climate AG Data Protection Officer:

First Climate AG
Data Protection Officer
Industriestr. 10
61118 Bad Vilbel – Frankfurt am Main
Germany
E-Mail: dataprotection@firstclimate.com