of Wepa SE, Wepa Hygieneprodukte GmbH, Wepa Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Wepa Professional GmbH, Wepa Piechowice sp.zo.o., Wepa France S.A.S., Wepa Greenfield S.A.S., Wepa Italia S.r.l., Wepa Kraftwerk GmbH, Wepa UK Ltd., Wepa Nederland B.V., Wepa Category Solutions GmbH, Forti-Folien GmbH, WEPA Solar Power GmbH, WEPA Real Estate GmbH. WEPA GREEN GmbH, Windpark Lattenberg 1. GmbH, Windpark Lattenberg 2. GmbH

- these companies hereinafter referred to as “WEPA” -

(Status 06-2024)

1. General / Scope

1.1 For all - including future - orders, contracts and other legal relationships between the Buyer and WEPA solely the following general terms and conditions of Sale do apply. Other terms and conditions shall apply only if they have been accepted in writing by WEPA.

1.2 The delivery contract and all ancillary agreements, contract amendments and contract additions must be in writing. Delivery schedules of the buyer under framework agreements and other arrangements can also be done via fax, e -mail or exceptionally by telephone.

1.3 As far as §§ are mentioned below, they refer to the corresponding German laws, unless expressly stated otherwise.

2. Order / Offer / Delivery

2.1 Orders of the Buyer must be in writing and have to contain at least information regarding the type of goods, the quality of the goods, the desired special characteristics of the product, dimensions, type of packaging, quantity for delivery, delivery time or the delivery date and the price expectations of the Buyer.

2.2 If the order of the Buyer has to be considered an offer as defined by Sections 145 ff. of the German Civil Code, WEPA may accept this offer within 14 calendar days by way of a written confirmation of the order. A sales contract creating obligations of WEPA towards the Buyer will only be concluded when the Buyer has received WEPA’s written confirmation within the aforementioned period of time.

2.3 All offers of WEPA are subject to change and non-binding, unless they are expressly designated in writing to be binding. Offers being designated as binding by WEPA shall be valid for 14 calendar days from the date of offer. In case the Buyer does not accept the offer within this period, it shall not be binding on WEPA anymore.

2.4 WEPA will stage the goods ex works ready for collection by the Buyer. The risk passes to the Buyer as soon as WEPA has reported the allocation of the goods to him. The Buyer transports the goods at its own expense. If the goods, however, are dispatched to the Buyer by WEPA due to a corresponding agreement, the aforementioned risk shall pass to the Buyer as soon as the goods have been handed over to the freight forwarder charged by WEPA.

2.5 In case that WEPA’s pallets are used for transport, the Buyer is obliged to exchange them with its own pallets which shall be of the same quality and the same quantity. Otherwise, the Buyer shall have to pay damages to WEPA.

2.6 An agreed delivery period shall commence with the date of the written order acknowledgement of WEPA or the Buyer, unless otherwise agreed. However, the delivery period does not commence until final clarification of all details of the order; this shall apply accordingly to delivery dates.

2.7 WEPA is entitled to deliver before the expiry of the delivery date or the delivery date. Partial deliveries by WEPA are permitted, unless the Buyer is obviously not interested in that.

2.8 Delivery periods and dates apply only approximately, unless firm deadlines or dates have been agreed in writing. In case of goods to be fetched by the Buyer the notification of the allocation of the goods vis-à-vis the Buyer shall be deemed sufficient for the adherence with delivery periods and dates. In case that the goods are dispatched to the Buyer by WEPA, compliance of delivery periods and delivery dates shall be determined by handing over the goods to the freight forwarder charged by WEPA.

2.9 In case that WEPA, for reasons that are its responsibility, does not comply with a bindingly agreed delivery period or delivery date, the Buyer is entitled to withdraw from the contract after a reasonable period of grace expired without result. The Buyer is only entitled to claim damages due to delay and to non-performance, if non-compliance with the delivery period or delivery date is attributable to intent or gross negligence of WEPA.

2.10 At the request and expense of the Buyer the delivery for goods sent by WEPA can be covered via a transport insurance.

2.11 WEPA is entitled to place the ordered goods at the expense of the Buyer into its own or a third-party´s stock if the Buyer postpones the point in time for delivery or does not fetch the allocated goods after notification of the allocation of the goods.

2.12 In case the Buyer is responsible for the postponement of delivery or the non-collection of goods, WEPA is entitled to withdraw from the contract concluded with the Buyer two weeks after the storage of the goods has begun and to sell the ordered goods to third-parties. In this case the Buyer is not entitled to assert claims against WEPA. WEPA may claim damages from the Buyer if the purchase price realized by the sale to a third-party is lower than the purchase price agreed with the Buyer or if it is not possible to enter into a sales contract with a third-party.
 

3. force majeure

3.1 In case of force majeure the affected party shall be released from its obligations for the duration of the force majeure. The event of force majeure is to be stated and proven to the other party. In particular, the following events are to be understood as events of force majeure : strikes, lockouts, fires, earthquakes, floods, wars, coup d’états, etc.

3.2 Events of force majeure relieves the affected party from its contractual obligations only insofar as it is thereby prevented from providing its performance. The obligation rests only for the period during which the event of force majeure hinders the fulfillment of the obligation. The Party invoking force majeure shall inform the other party of the beginning and end of the force majeure in writing without undue delay. Otherwise the party forfeits the right to invoke on this obstacle.

3.3 The provisions of clauses 3.1 and 3.2 shall apply mutatis mutandis in the case of operating and traffic problems, in shortage or rationing of raw materials or other essential resources for the production of the goods and in case of official decrees, which, directly or indirectly, disturb or prevent the manufacture or delivery of the goods as far as the above-mentioned circumstances cannot be eliminated by reasonable measures.
 

4. Investigation and complaint duty

4.1 The Buyer is obliged to investigate the goods delivered by WEPA without undue delay upon receipt and to notify WEPA immediately in writing of any defects found in that respect. If the Buyer omits the notice of defects the goods shall be deemed approved, unless there is a defect that was not recognizable in the investigation. Additionally the Buyer is obliged to note on the shipping documents in an appropriate and readable way: visible external damage to the goods and their packaging at goods receipt, type mismatches as well as deviations in quantity and production-related deviations, that exceed the tolerances specified in paragraph 5. The notation is not considered as notice of defects in the sense of sentence 1, but merely serves to determine the point in time when the defect was detected and to narrow down the point in time when the defect has developed.

4.2 If a defect being not-recognizable at the time of investigation appears later the Buyer has to notify the defect to WEPA immediately in writing upon discovery. Otherwise, the goods shall be deemed approved regarding this defect, too.

4.3 The dispatch of the notice of defects in good time is sufficient to preserve the rights of the Buyer.

4.4 The provisions of clauses 4.1 to 4.3 so not apply to the sale of consumer goods .

4.5 Negotiations between the Buyer and WEPA with regard to a defect notified by the Buyer are merely an attempt of an amicable agreement. It is not an act of Wepa acknowledging the defect and no tacit waiver of WEPA on the objection of delayed notification of defects.

5. Tolerances

The following deviations from the delivery contract are permitted and are accepted by the Buyer as contractual:
- deviations in quantity, scaling up and down, up to 10%, at Buyer specific presentation or at Buyer instructed custom-made products up to 20 %.

- production-related deviations, scaling up and down, up to 10%. This applies to deviations regarding the weight per unit area, deviations regarding the dimensions (e.g. length, width, thickness and diameter), deviations regarding the leaf contents and any other product-related deviations.
In each case the Buyer is only obliged to pay the goods actually delivered.
 

6. claims for defects

6.1 A material defect exists when the goods (the thing) sold do not have the agreed quality upon the passing of the risk. To the extent that the quality has not been agreed a material defect exists when the goods (the thing) are not suitable for the use intended under the contract. If no specific use is intended under the contract a material defect exists when the goods (the thing) are not suitable for the customary use or its quality is not usual in goods/things of the same kind and the buyer may expect this quality in view of the type of the goods/things.

6.2 A legal defect occurs when third parties, in relation to the goods/things, can assert rights against the Buyer which the Buyer did not take over from the Sales agreement.

6.3 Rights or claims of third parties based on industrial or intellectual property only lead to a legal defect, insofar as the rights according to international or national provisions of the Federal Republic of Germany are registered and published. A delivery is not vitiated by a legal defect, as far as the provisions applicable at the Buyer's place of business are not opposed to the customary use of the goods.

6.4 In case of any legal defect solely WEPA is entitled to obtain any necessary usage permissions or licenses from the third party. The Buyer is prohibited to obtain such permissions or licenses at the expense of WEPA arbitrarily from the third party. Costs incurred by the Buyer in case of non-compliance pursuant to a contractual agreement with the third party, are no reimbursable damage of the Buyer.

6.5 WEPA will, at its discretion, either rectify defective goods or supply replacement. If WEPA did not rectify or supply replacement within a reasonable time or if the rectified goods or supplied replacement is defective again, the Buyer may demand a reduction of the purchase price or cancellation of the contract. Other claims are excluded. This regulation does not apply to the sale of consumer goods.

6.6 A warranty for defects of WEPA is excluded if the defect is caused by improper use of the goods. This is especially the case if the Buyer ignores the specifications of the product information and WEPA´s instructions for use. In case of any doubt regarding the proper use of the goods the Buyer is obliged to enquire WEPA. If the Buyer fails to do so claims against WEPA are excluded in case of a defect.

6.7 Products of WEPA, which are provided for a new application by the Buyer, are to be checked by the Buyer prior to conclusion of a contract in terms of their suitability for this new application. Otherwise claims against WEPA are excluded in case of damage to the goods. The use of new or different equipment for the processing of the goods is deemed also a new application.

6.8 Samples and specimens merely serve as product description. No quality guarantees or other guarantees may be derived from those. The Buyer is obliged to advise WEPA of desired special characteristics of the goods in writing in his order. If the advice is omitted and the special characteristic of the goods is missing upon passing of the risk, WEPA´s liability because of that circumstance is excluded.

6.9 A return of sold goods free of defects is permitted only with the express, prior and written consent of WEPA. Unless otherwise agreed WEPA will take back only freight paid and shall issue a credit note equal to the Sales price paid by the Buyer less a reasonable administration fee.

7. Damages

7.1 WEPA is liable only for damages caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct by WEPA or one of its auxiliary persons. This does not apply to liability for damages from injury to life, body or health.

7.2 Unforeseeable damages are excluded from liability.

7.3 WEPA shall not be liable for any indirect, collateral or consequential damages such as lost profits, unless such damages are caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct of WEPA.

7.4 The liability of WEPA is limited to the performance of its business liability insurance. The Buyer may ask respective proof of insurance as necessary from WEPA.

7.5 Aforesaid liability provisions apply to contractual and non-contractual claims. WEPA´s liability under the Product Liability Act remains unaffected.

8. Retention of title

8.1 The goods remain property of WEPA until full payment of all claims from the business relationship, including incidental claims, damage claims and cashing of checks and bills of exchange. The retention of title remains valid even if individual claims of WEPA are included in a current invoice and the balance is drawn and recognized.

8.2 The Buyer is entitled to resale, to further processing or installation of the reserved goods only under consideration of the following provisions and subject to the condition that the claims in accordance with Section 8.5 actually are transferred to WEPA.

8.3 The processing of the reserved goods takes place for WEPA. The Buyer acquires no property/ownership of the new item according to § 950 German Civil Code (BGB). If the reserved goods are processed with other items not belonging to WEPA, WEPA acquires co-ownership of the new item in the ratio of the value of the reserved goods (invoice value) to the other processed items

8.4 The Buyer´s right to sell the reserved goods in the ordinary course of business expires upon revocation, at the latest however at the Buyer's default of payment or at Buyer´s significant deterioration in its financial situation or application respectively opening of insolvency proceedings against its assets.

8.5 The Buyer hereby assigns all claims arising from the resale of the reserved goods including any balance claims with all incidental rights to WEPA. WEPA accepts this assignment.

8.6 As long as the Buyer meets his payment obligations, he is entitled to collect the assigned claims. The right to collect shall expire upon revocation, at the latest however at the Buyer's default of payment or at Buyer´s significant deterioration in its financial situation or application respectively opening of insolvency proceedings against its assets. In this case WEPA is entitled to set a time limit for payment to the Buyer. After the period has lapsed without success WEPA is entitled to inform the debtors about the assignment and to collect the claim by itself or by third parties.

8.7 Upon request the Buyer is obliged to hand out to WEPA a detailed schedule of the claims the Buyer is entitled to containing the names and addresses of the buyers, amount of each claim, invoice date, etc. and to provide to WEPA all the information required to assert the assigned claims and to allow the inspection of this information.

8.8 If the value of the securities exceeds the claims of WEPA by more than 20%, WEPA will release securities at its discretion upon request of the Buyer.

8.9 Pledging or transfer of ownership by way of security of the reserved goods respectively the assigned claims are not permitted. WEPA is to be informed about distraints, stating the pledgees, without undue delay.

8.10 If WEPA, due to the retention of title, takes back the delivery item withdrawal from the contract shall apply if and only WEPA explicitly declares so. WEPA is entitled to realize the reserved goods taken back by way of private sale. In this case claims of Buyer against WEPA are excluded. WEPA may demand compensation from the Buyer, if the purchase price from the private sale is less than the agreed purchase price with the Buyer or if a private sale is not possible.

8.11 The Buyer shall store the reserved goods for WEPA free of charge. He is to insure the reserved goods against the usual risks such as fire, theft and water in a conventional scope. The Buyer hereby assigns his compensation claims he is entitled to because of damages of the type mentioned above against insurance companies or other parties obligated to compensation to WEPA in the amount of the invoice value of the goods. WEPA accepts the assignment.

8.12 All claims and the rights arising from the retention of title persist until complete indemnity from contingent liabilities which WEPA incurred in the Buyer's interest.

9. prices

9.1 All prices are calculated in EURO and are plus VAT.

9.2 For deliveries abroad in Member States of the European Union or in third countries WEPA invoices VAT in accordance with the applicable laws.

9.3 In case freight and insurance costs or public duties and charges such as taxes, customs duties, Import-/Exportcharges are increased after conclusion of a contract or are newly introduced, WEPA may add these additional costs to the agreed price even at freight or duty paid delivery.

10. Terms of payment

10.1 The invoice amount must be paid net within 30 days of date of invoice.

10.2 The Buyer at his own risk and cost is to transfer the invoice amount to the respective account of WEPA. The payment obligation of the Buyer will be fulfilled only upon receipt of payment to the relevant account of the WEPA.

10.3 WEPA, at its discretion, is entitled to set off incoming payments against outstanding claims.

10.4 WEPA reserves the right for its goods to demand advance payment, cash on delivery or cash, if a significant deterioration in the Buyer´s financial situation becomes known retroactively.

10.5 The retention of payments or set-off by the Buyer due to any counterclaims is excluded, unless the counterclaim is undisputed or legally been declared final. In addition the right of retention by the Buyer is permissible only if his counterclaim is based on the same legal relationship as the claim of WEPA.

10.6 In case of payment after the due date WEPA is entitled to charge interest at the rate of five percentage points above the applicable basic rate of interest. For legal transactions in which a consumer is not involved, the interest rate for claims for payment is eight percentage points above the applicable basic rate of interest. Moreover, the statutory provisions of § 288, paragraphs 3 and 4 of the German Civil Code are not waived.

11. Social Compliance: Upholding human rights and ILO core labour standards, MiLoG

11.1 WEPA confirms, that WEPA upholds the respective acts of law and other relevant provisions in all their production processes and operations for the WEPA articles, which are subject of this agreement, and for all other business activities and decisions. In addition WEPA confirms, that WEPA observes and upholds without exception in all their production processes and operations for the WEPA articles, which are subject of this agreement, human rights as a minimum standard for ethical behaviour, and in particular the so-called ILO core labour standards (http://www.ilo.org/berlin/arbeits-und-standards/kernarbeitsnormen/lang--de/index.htm)
- Convention 87 - Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
- Convention 98 - Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
- Convention 29 - Forced Labour Convention - including Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention
- Convention 105 - Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
- Convention 100 - Equal Remuneration Convention
- Convention 111 - Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
- Convention 138 - Minimum Age Convention
- Convention 182 - Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour.

11.2 In the context of its activities WEPA guarantees to act in line with the law and that it will uphold all of the relevant obligations regarding payment of a minimum wage (resulting, for example, from acts of law, a collective agreement or other legal provisions) in good time and in full, and that it will also obtain a corresponding undertaking from its (sub-)contractors and vicarious agents, if applicable. WEPA is obliged to pay its employees at least the statutory minimum wage according to the applicable minimum wage act, to the extent these employees are covered by the regulations of the minimum wage act.

11.3 WEPA hereby informs, that the packaging listed in Section 15 Paragraph 1 of the German Packaging Act, in particular transport packaging, insofar as this is subject to the regulations of the German Packaging Act, will be taken back by WEPA free of charge in order to increase the return rate. If necessary, please contact wepro@wepa.de with the keyword "transport packaging".

12. Miscellaneous

12.1 Place of jurisdiction is Arnsberg. This also applies to action on checks and bills of exchange.

12.2 For the present General Terms and Conditions of Sale as well as all contracts and other legal relationships between the Buyer and WEPA the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany applies by way of exclusion of its conflict-of-law rules. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) does not apply.

12.3 Should individual provisions of these General Terms and Conditions of Sale be invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions or the contract as a whole shall not be affected. The parties are obliged to replace invalid conditions by valid conditions which come as close as possible to the invalid provision in economic terms.

12.4 WEPA points out that individual-related data are stored in compliance with the statutory provisions, are processed in connection with the business transactions and, if necessary for performance of the contract, will be forwarded to third parties.