WHITEBOX
Grievance Mechanism
for Companies
WhiteBox Grievance Mechanism for Companies
Receive reports on human rights risks and violations in supply chains directly from affected stakeholders
WhiteBox for Companies
Grievance Mechanism for Supply Chain Due Diligence
Traditional auditing methods, supplier self-assessment forms, and open-source ESG data analysis software often do not detect issues or only detect them after they have escalated into media attention resulting in harm to humans as well as reputational damage and financial loss for companies. WhiteBox is an advanced digital grievance redress mechanism that enables stakeholders across your entire value chain to report concerns directly and confidentially, providing your company with real-time ESG data on your value chain. This enhances your risk analyses and empowers a proactive risk management approach that mitigates and solves issues before they develop into crises. WhiteBox ensures compliance with complaints procedure obligations from regulations such as the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) as well as the GDPR and other international data privacy regulations.
Why are grievance & tip mechanisms so important?
Important pillars for effective risk management and due diligence processes
Early Warning System
Effective complaints, grievance and whistleblowing mechanisms act as early warning systems by identifying problems before they escalate. This helps you prevent or limit damage to your business in the form of damage payments, fines, or reputation.
Risk Analysis & Auditing
Grievance and tip portals can be a highly effective and efficient tool to analyse risks along your value-chain. Furthermore, they offer companies the opportunity to obtain feedback on the effectiveness of their risk management and individual due diligence processes. Therefore they also form an important building block for the further development of risk management systems.
Fraud Detection & Deterrence
In 2022, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners reported that 42% of occupational fraud was detected through whistleblower reports. Effective whistleblower channels can also deter malicious actors out of fear of being reported and caught.
Compliance
Compliance with the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG), EU CSDDD, and EU Whistleblower Directive
Complaint (or grievance) procedures are a core element of many supply chain due diligence regulations including the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. Companies must have a complaints procedure through which internal and external persons can notify the company of human rights or environmental risks or violations in their own business operations as well as those of every direct and indirect supplier in the supply chain.
Compliance made simple with WhiteBox
WhiteBox is developed for full compliance with:
- German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG)
- EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (EU CSDDD)
- EU Directive for Whistleblower Protection
How to
Turn-key compliance in 6 steps with WhiteBox!
Companies using WhiteBox can reach full compliance with grievance mechanism obligations contained in supply chain due diligence regulations in 6 steps which are completed within minutes and without any extra expertise needed!
Set up within minutes
An intuitive digital interface, ready reporting forms and semi-automated policies ensure quick and easy implementation
No expertise required
WhiteBox guides you to compliance and simplifies the establishment of grievance mechanisms. For extra help our network of consultants are always available.
Full-Suite accompanying services
WhiteBox, together with its partners, is able to offer companies a full-suite and best-in-class service globally for the set-up as well as on-going management of grievance mechanisms. These services digitally integrate directly into the platform for maximum convenience.
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Consultation for setting up of a procedure & drafting of the policies
Get full-suite consultation from domain experts with decades of experience
Education & training for staff capacity building
Train procedure administrators and managing staff on their obligations and best practices
Education & training for stakeholder awareness
Educate stakeholders on their rights and how they can use the procedure effectively and appropriately
On-going services for management of procedure
- Ombudsperson services,
- On-demand translations,
- Consultation,
- Legal Assessments,
- and more ...
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Features & Capabilities
Book a demo ...
Get in touch with us!
Demo
WhiteBox was developed by a team of ESG experts, academics, consultants, and IT professionals over a 3 year Research & Development process with the aim of perfecting grievance procedures for all participants
Accessibility
In the realm of grievance mechanisms for supply chains, accessibility is paramount. The holistic approach WhiteBox adopts toward accessibility ensures that all stakeholders, regardless of their location, background, skills, and knowledge, can effectively use the grievance mechanism.
Awareness & Outreach
Whether it's through online campaigns, community workshops, or NGO partnerships, WhiteBox actively seeks to educate and engage to keep stakeholders well-informed about their rights and the grievance procedure.
User Friendliness
Prioritizing user experience, WhiteBox boasts an intuitive design, ease of navigation, as well as simple and straightforward procedures; making the process of lodging grievances as straightforward as possible. For any issues, support documentation and ticketing is available.
Participation of illiterate stakeholders
WhiteBox enables illiterate stakeholders to participate through audio aided forms and AI powered speech to text transcription. Furthermore, our portal can be extended with additional channels such as AI powered telephone hotlines.
Bridging language barriers
Language barriers are eliminated with WhiteBox. The form and portal are available in almost all languages of the world. The report and any proceeding communication are also translated into any language (click here for more information on the translation features for administrators).
Add-On Channels
WhiteBox enables the integration of external channels and manual entry of reports for others by persons such as HR representatives, ombudspersons, or auditors. It can easily be extended with additional reporting channels such as:- E-Mail Addresses,
- Human operated telephone hotlines,
- AI/Robot operated telephone hotlines, and
- Other digital reporting channels.
Efficient & Effective Grievance Management
Organise | Automate | Streamline | MonitorUtilise WhiteBox to effortlessly manage received reports on human rights and sustainability risks or violations. With WhiteBox, your company receives all relevant grievances from its supply-chain and enables your staff to handle these complaint reports effectively and efficiently.
How WhiteBox leverages Artificial Intelligence
WhiteBox leverages cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence technology to enhance accessibility, streamline grievance management, and improve procedural efficiency for all stakeholders. We are deeply committed to the value these services bring, while also remaining vigilant about the associated risks, particularly around data confidentiality. Protecting both personal and corporate data is a top priority, and we implement robust confidentiality measures to ensure it. Additionally, we empower both reporting rights-holders and companies with flexible options, allowing them to choose the extent to which they wish to integrate AI services into their processes. Click below to learn more about our AI strategy.
WhiteBox AI Strategy
Transcription of Spoken Information Increasing Accessibility for Illiterate Stakeholders
We increase accessibility to the procedure for illiterate rightsholders through an industry leading transcription service called "Whisper" provided by OpenAI.
Instant High-Quality Translation between over 100 Languages
We bridge language barriers with instant translations from- and to- over 100 languages (powered by DeepL for 30 supported languages and Amazon Translate for another 70). Where automation falls short, human translation services can be integrated directly into the platform ensuring confidentiality and efficiency.
Fast and Accurate Anonymisation of Reports for Confidential Further Processing and Collaboration in the Supply Chain
We use Amazon Comprehends natural language processing (NLP) capabilities to identify and redact personal and corporate identifying information to ensure confidentiality across our systems.
Automated Identification of ESG Risks and Flagging of "Out-of-Scope" Reports.
After the reports are translated into English and redacted from any personal or company identifying information, they are analysed by various Large Language Models including those provided by the organisations OpenAI and Anthropic.
Integrated Service Providers
WhiteBox facilitates seamless integration for consultants, offering comprehensive support ranging from policy drafting to ongoing management of the grievance procedure. With their own accounts, consultants can easily assimilate into their clients' systems, thanks to WhiteBox's modular access management capabilities. This feature ensures that consultants can provide tailored, efficient assistance in every aspect of the grievance process, enhancing the overall effectiveness and compliance of your procedures.
Legal Assesments
Mediation Services
Ombudsperson Services
Translation Services
Auditing Services
& More
Complementing Services
Professional grievance and whistleblowing management services by trained staff of certified firms around the world
Select firms with regional expertise to support your compliance department
Full-suite set up and management services for your WhiteBox and additional grievance mechanisms
Highly qualified consulting services for grievance and whistleblowing procedures
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Seamless Integration With Your Supply Chain
WhiteBox stands out as the sole solution in the market, facilitating seamless integration of both direct and indirect suppliers into your grievance mechanism.
Both the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act mandate that companies ensure their grievance procedures are readily accessible to all potentially affected individuals throughout their entire supply chain. However this can be a complex endeavor, particularly in large and global supply chains. The challenge intensifies when trying to engage with stakeholders of indirect suppliers. WhiteBox simplifies compliance and enables buying companies to receive grievances from their supply chain while empowering supplying companies with equal transparency and control over the procedures concerning them.
Effortlessly implemented along your entire value-chain
WhiteBox facilitates the transmission of grievance reports from your own operations as well as your entire supply chain to you. Affected stakeholders only need to identify the company and worksite impacting them, while you simply need to know your direct suppliers.
Protecting important information of your company
WhiteBox enables collaboration and transparency for the supply chain grievance mechanism while keeping identifying data regarding suppliers and customers of your company hidden to unauthorised third parties (including the reporting individual) with advanced digital anonymisation technology.
Automatically delegated main responsibility
WhiteBox automatically delegates the main responsibility for the procedure based on the requirements of the laws and factors influencing the ability to respond to the issue most effectively.
Enabling suppliers to quickly address and refute any defamatory claims
WhiteBox enables suppliers to protect their reputation by tracking and responding to any defamatory claims disguised as grievances.
Collaboration & Communication
WhiteBox enables collaboration and communication with customers, suppliers and stakeholders across your value-chainCollaboration is essential for effective supply chain due diligence, yet it remains a significant challenge within the context of complex, global supply chains. WhiteBox addresses this challenge by facilitating seamless, structured grievance-based collaboration among companies, their business customers, direct and indirect suppliers, reporting stakeholders, and NGOs. Simultaneously, it safeguards the integrity of sensitive data and business secrets for all parties involved through automated anonymization when necessary, ensuring both transparency and confidentiality.
Receive feedback from stakeholders on effectiveness of individual due diligence processes
Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on the actions implemented before a report is finalized. Additionally, they can offer insights on the overall effectiveness of the procedure, ensuring continuous improvement and alignment with best practices.
Communicate with reporting stakeholders even when they remain anonymous
WhiteBox enables investigations to be conducted and feedback to be collected even in the absence of identifying (contact) information of the stakeholder.
Collaborate with involved organisations even when they remain anonymous
To facilitate seamless collaboration across the supply chain without compromising data confidentiality, WhiteBox protects your company’s customer and supplier data, ensuring it remains secure and is never shared with unauthorized third parties during collaboration within the supply chain.
Statistics & Analysis
WhiteBox provides a comprehensive solution for automating the collection and analysis of data from received reports and feedback
Both the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act mandate companies to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of their complaint procedures and conduct thorough risk analyses. WhiteBox streamlines this by automatically collecting data from received reports and associated feedback loops. This empowers your organization to enhance risk analysis capabilities and continuously review the effectiveness of your complaint procedure ass well as other due diligence processes. By automating the collection and statistical analysis of grievances, WhiteBox not only provides a robust foundation for evaluating the effectiveness of your mechanisms over a period of time. It also enables the identification of evolving risk trends, high-risk worksites, suppliers, regions, and sectors, ensuring your risk analyses are both proactive and comprehensive.
Automatic collection of statistics
Automatically collect a comprehensive set of structured data associated with incoming reports and the procedures
Identify high-risk links
Identify high-risk sectors, regions, suppliers and your own worksites with the help of data
Analyse and discover trends
Display and monitor collected statistics in a variety of detailed graphs and charts
Export anonymised data
Easily export anonymised data in .csv for compliant use and import to external analytics programs
Documentation & Reporting
WhiteBox simplifies compliance by automating the documentation of the procedure and relevant reporting
Companies are required to continuously document as well as publicly report on aspects of their complaints procedure. Meeting these obligations can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. WhiteBox streamlines this process by automatically documenting all relevant information and metrics related to your grievance mechanism. With WhiteBox, you can easily access and retrieve the data needed to create comprehensive annual reports in full compliance with relevant obligations.
Automatic documentation & comprehensive archive keeping
WhiteBox enables automatic documentation of your grievance mechanism and creates a detailed archive for audit, reporting, and analysis purposes
Documentation of individual due diligence actions
Every action taken in response to a complaint (grievance) is recorded in your company own database together with feedback and effectiveness rating given by both your administrators as well as the reporting stakeholder
Streamlined creation of complaints mechanisms related sections in your HREDD & ESG Reports
The collection of information and creation of text required for ESG & Due Diligence reporting is automated and can be downloaded in a structured format with the click of a button
Data Security & Compliance
Compliance with data protection regulations and security best practices guard the integrity of data in the WhiteBox systemBy integrating rigorous data protection measures, including compliance with EU GDPR, BDSG (Germany), KVKK (Turkey), and other international regulations, WhiteBox provides a robust framework that supports the secure exchange of information throughout the supply chain. This ensures that every entity involved in the grievance procedure can confidently collaborate while maintaining full compliance with relevant data protection laws.
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Detailed Permission Management
WhiteBox comes with highly modular permission management features for co-administrators
Account Security
Mandatory high security passwords and optional two factor authentication for login and other critical functions
IT Security
Utilising best practices in IT infrastructure security (click here for more information).
Data anonymisation
Automatic data anonymisation for compliant further processing
Integration with Compliance- and
Risk Management Software
Integrate our platform seamlessly with any compliance and risk management software. For more details and to begin the integration process, please reach out to us.
Customisations, Extensions & Integrations
Customized and tailor-made solutions by our team of experts in law and technology ensure that our platform meets your company's specific requirements. Some suggestions can even be added by our team at no extra cost for you.
Customize any aspect of WhiteBox
Connect WhiteBox with other software
Extend WhiteBox with additional channels
Create new solutions
Contact us
Pricing
Base Plans
The base plans contain all required features for the implementation of an effective and compliant grievance mechanism along your value chain.
For Responsible Suppliers & Businesses
This pricing plan is applicable for companies who are not directly obligated to implement a complaints procedure but supply an obligated company or voluntarily want to implement a mechanism
Tier 1
up to 49 employees
€ 9
/month
excluding VAT, billed yearly
Unlimited reports
Free policy template
Up to 3 administrators
30-Day money back guarantee
Tier 2
more than 50 employees
€ 45
/month
excluding VAT, billed yearly
Unlimited reports
Free policy template
Up to 5 administrators
60-Day money back guarantee
Tier 3
more than 250 employees
€ 225
/month
excluding VAT, billed yearly
Unlimited reports
Free policy template
Up to 10 administrators
90-Day money back guarantee
Get Started
For Industry Leaders & ESG Pioneers
This pricing plan applies to companies that are directly obligated by regulations to implement a grievance or complaints procedure or that are above the employee thresholds
Tier 4
more than 1000 employees
€ 500
/month
excluding VAT, billed yearly
Unlimited reports
Statistics add-on
Up to 25 administrators
Tier 5
more than 3000 employees
€ 1200
/month
excluding VAT, billed yearly
Unlimited reports
Statistics add-on
Up to 50 administrators
Get Started
Add-Ons
Enhance your compliance with our add-on services
starting at
€ 9
/mo
excluding VAT, billed yearly
Whistleblower
Can be purchased independentlyReceive whistleblower reports from a separate channel only accessible by relevant parties
Separate whistleblowing channel & dashboard
Connectable to WhiteBox dashboard
Compliant with EU Whistleblowing Directive and ISO 37002:2021
Additional data security (incl. extra encryption)
Accessible through Tor-Browser (Onion Link)
Flexible hosting options (incl. on-premise)
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€ 50
/mo
excluding VAT
Statistics
View and analyse statistics in relation to receieved reports to better identify trends, issues, and more
Activates statistics functionality & dashboard
Automatically collect all kinds of statistics in relation to reports
Chart all kinds of statistics in relation to filed reports
Ability to export statistics in different formats
WhiteBox for Companies
Watch our video for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about grievances and supply chain due diligence answered
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resources for companies
Information about grievance mechanisms for companies
Here you can find a range of resources to help promote responsible business practices and comply with relevant laws and regulations. Our resources include policies and guides related to the WhiteBox platform, as well as information on relevant legislation and best practices for ethical supply chain management. We also offer a regularly updated blog section that features articles and insights on the latest trends and challenges in sustainable business practices.
