Introduction

Quaker Chemical Corporation d/b/a Quaker Houghton (“Quaker Houghton”), with legal address at 901 E. Hector St., Conshohocken, PA 19428, its subsidiaries, and affiliates (hereinafter, the “Company”) gathers and processes your personal data in accordance with this privacy notice and in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and all applicable laws.

GDPR principles guide our processing activity. Quaker Houghton is committed to protect your personal data to ensure it is processed lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent manner. This notice provides you with the necessary information regarding the processing of personal data, your rights and our obligations.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact us:

Ajla Glavasevic

Global Data Privacy Officer

[email protected]

What information do we collect and how is that information used?

The Company collects personal data including, but not limited to: name, e-mail, address, date of birth, phone number, ID number, bank account information, and any other relevant information obtained directly from you with your express and freely given consent when contacting the Company through the website form or social media, calls to our Customer Service, or any other kind of interaction between the parties or obtained from suppliers, providers or customers.

In any case, we process your personal data with your consent or when necessary to comply with legal requirements, contract obligations in which you are party, protect your vital interests or of another natural person, for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested on the Company or the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the Company.

Personal data is processed for one or more of the following purposes:

  • To manage the business operations.
  • To provide you with information about the Company, its products and services.
  • To provide our products and services to you.
  • To maintain our business relationship throughout its lifetime, where you are a client or user of our website services.
  • To enable us to answer any queries you may have.
  • To market our products and services to you.
  • Communication purposes: to keep you updated on any relevant industry news; to update you on any events, promotions and competitions, reports and any other information we feel may be relevant or of interest to you. You retain the right to unsubscribe from such communications at any time. Please see “Rights”
  • To fulfil contractual obligations with you.
  • To enable the development and marketing of other products and services by company.
  • To continually improve our customer service efforts and to make our services more valuable to you.
  • Payments, collections, and accountability purposes.
  • Recruitment purposes.
  • Training purposes.
  • Legitimate interests, including but not limited to business development, marketing purposes, CMR management, fraud, corruption and illegal practices prevention and detection, software implementation or changes, security measures improvement or changes, organizational and administrative purposes, or any other such like purposes which serve a need to the organization to conduct its business in a lawful and compliant manner.

Please note that the provision of personal data may be required to enter into a contract with Quaker Houghton or, when using the Contact site form, to provide you with an answer.

The Company may process personal data for a purpose other than that for which it has been collected, when that another purpose is compatible with the purpose for which the personal data are initially collected.

Who do we share personal data with?

The Company may share personal data with its customers, subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, services providers, consultants and/or governmental authorities.

Personal data may be transferred within the European Economic Area (EEA) and to third countries given the location of recipients. For such, we ensure that the country in question has an adequate level of protection by the existence of an “Adequacy decision” enacted by the European Commission or, in the absence of a decision, providing appropriate safeguards.

How long do we hold personal data?

We store personal data in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed. In this regard, the Company has implemented a “Data Retention Policy” in which retention periods for documents are established with observance to legal requirements, industry standards and guidelines.

After the expiration of the retention periods or when the personal data is no longer needed, the data is deleted or anonymized.  Personal data may be stored for longer when intended for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes.

Please note that you can request the erasure of your personal data or withdraw the consent given (please see “Rights” section), cases in which the Company will delete or anonymize the concerned data unless there is other legal ground for the processing.

Your Rights

You can exercise your rights by contacting our Global Privacy Officer (Please see “Contact” section) or by using the hotline at any time. The Company may ask you for additional information necessary to confirm your identity and will make its bests endeavors to assist your request accurately and without undue delay and in any event within one month of receipt of the request. This period may be extended by two further months where necessary, considering the complexity and number of the requests, in which case you will be informed.

The information will be provided free of charge unless the requests are manifestly unfounded or excessive, in particular because of their repetitive character, cases in which the Company is legally entitled to charge a reasonable fee or refuse to act on the request.

In case of rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing, we will communicate it to each recipient to whom the personal data have been disclosed, unless this proves impossible or involves disproportionate effort.

Right to access: You have the right at any time to ask and obtain from us confirmation as to whether or not your personal data are being processed and, where that is the case, access to the personal data and the following information: (i) the purposes of the processing; (ii) the categories of personal data concerned; (iii) the recipients or categories of recipient to whom the personal data have been or will be disclosed, in particular recipients in third countries or international organisations; (iv) where possible, the envisaged period for which the personal data will be stored, or, if not possible, the criteria used to determine that period; (v) the existence of the right to request from the controller rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing of personal data concerning the data subject or to object to such processing; (vi) the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority; (vii) where the personal data are not collected from the data subject, any available information as to their source; (viii) the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, and (ix) appropriate safeguards when persona data are transferred to a third country or to an international organization.

Right to withdraw consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

Right to rectification: You have the right to obtain from us without undue delay the completion of incomplete data and rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning yourself.

Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”): You have the right to obtain from us the erasure of your personal data without undue delay. The company has the obligation to erase it without undue delay where one of the following grounds applies: (i) the personal data are no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed; (ii) the data subject withdraws consent on which the processing is based and where there is no other legal ground for the processing; (iii) the data subject objects to the processing and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing, or the data subject objects to the processing pursuant to Article 21(2); (iv) the personal data have been unlawfully processed and (v) the personal data have to be erased for compliance with a legal obligation.

The above does not apply to the extent that processing is necessary: (i) for exercising the right of freedom of expression and information; (ii) for compliance with a legal obligation which requires processing by Union or Member State law to which we are subject or for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested on us, (iii) for reasons of public interest in the area of public health, (iv) for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes; or (v) for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.

In other words, under the right to erasure you can request for deletion of your file, but please note there are some circumstances we may not be required or able to do so, particularly where your file also holds information about our clients or financial information that we need to keep for periods of up to six years; i.e. which relate to tax matters. If, under any circumstances, we cannot comply with your request for information a full explanation will be provided to you for the same.

Right to restriction of processing: You have the right to obtain from us restriction of processing where one of the following applies: (i) the accuracy of the personal data is contested by the data subject, for a period enabling us to verify the accuracy of the personal data; (ii) the processing is unlawful and the data subject opposes the erasure of the personal data and requests the restriction of their use instead; (iii) the Company no longer needs the personal data for the purposes of the processing, but they are required by the data subject for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims; and (iv) the data subject has objected to processing (“right to object”) pending the verification whether the legitimate grounds of the controller override those of the data subject.

Right to object: You have the right to object at any time to processing your personal data which is based on the need of performing a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the Company or needed for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us or a third party, including profiling based on these. You also have the right to object, at any time, the processing of personal data for direct marketing purposes, which includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing.

Please note that in case you object the processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests, we will stop unless legitimate interests are compelling enough to override the individual’s rights.

Right to data portability: You have the right to receive the personal data you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and have the right to transmit those data to another controller without hindrance from where the processing in based on consent and is carried out by automated means.

Individual decision making: You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, unless the decision: (i) is necessary for entering into, or performance of, a contract between the data subject and the Company, (ii) is authorized by Union or Member State law to which we are subject and which also lays down suitable measures to safeguard your rights and freedoms and legitimate interests; or (iii) is based on your consent.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

Quaker Houghton and our service providers use cookies and similar technologies, including pixels, tags, web beacons, scripts, and local storage technologies, when you visit or interact with our websites and other digital properties.

Cookies are small data files placed on or accessed from your device. These technologies allow us to operate and secure our websites, remember your preferences, understand how visitors use our websites, improve website performance, and, where permitted, measure and improve the effectiveness of our communications and marketing activities.

Types of Cookies and Similar Technologies We Use

We may use the following categories of cookies and similar technologies:

  • Strictly Necessary Cookies: These technologies are required for the operation, security, and basic functionality of the Site. They may support functions such as navigation, security, network management, fraud prevention, and remembering your privacy choices. Because these technologies are necessary for the Site to function, they generally cannot be disabled through our cookie preference tools.
  • Functional Cookies: These technologies enable additional functionality and personalization, such as remembering language, region, or other preferences.
  • Analytics and Performance Cookies: These technologies help us understand how visitors interact with the Site, including pages visited, traffic sources, navigation patterns, and website performance. We use this information to measure and improve the Site and our digital services.
  • Advertising and Targeting Cookies: Where used and permitted by applicable law, these technologies may help us understand the effectiveness of our advertising, measure campaign activity, build audiences, or provide advertising that may be more relevant to you. These technologies may be placed by Quaker Houghton or by third-party advertising and technology providers.

Your Cookie Choices

Where required by applicable law, we will request your consent before placing or accessing cookies or similar technologies that are not strictly necessary for the operation of the Site.

When you first visit the Site, you may be presented with a cookie consent or preference tool that allows you to accept, reject, or manage certain categories of cookies. You can change your selections at any time by accessing the Cookie Settings or Privacy Preferences link available on the Site.

Withdrawing or declining consent will not affect cookies that are strictly necessary for the Site to operate. However, disabling certain optional cookies may affect some Site functionality or personalization.

European Economic Area and United Kingdom Users

For visitors in jurisdictions where consent is required, including the European Economic Area and United Kingdom, Quaker Houghton will not use non-essential cookies or similar technologies requiring consent unless and until you have provided the appropriate consent, subject to any exceptions permitted by applicable law.

Where personal information is processed through these technologies, we process that information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws. You may withdraw your consent at any time through our cookie preference tools. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing that occurred before consent was withdrawn.

California Privacy Rights

Certain cookies, pixels, and similar technologies used for advertising, analytics, or audience measurement may involve the disclosure of personal information to third parties. Depending on how these technologies are used, such disclosures may constitute a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended.

Where applicable, California residents may opt out of the sale or sharing of their personal information by selecting “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” or using the privacy preference mechanism available on the Site.

Where required by applicable law, Quaker Houghton will also recognize applicable browser-based opt-out preference signals, such as Global Privacy Control (GPC).

Additional information regarding California privacy rights, including rights to know, access, correct, delete, and limit certain uses of personal information where applicable, can be found in our Privacy Policy or California Privacy Notice.

Third-Party Technologies

We may use third-party service providers to support website analytics, advertising, communications, security, functionality, or other business purposes. These providers may use cookies, pixels, or similar technologies in connection with the services they provide.

The information collected, purposes of processing, and retention periods may vary depending on the provider and technology involved. Where required, these technologies will be subject to your cookie preferences and applicable privacy choices.

We encourage you to review our cookie preference tool for additional information about the specific cookies and third-party technologies currently used on the Site.

Cookie Retention

Cookies may remain on your device for different periods of time. Session cookies generally expire when you close your browser, while persistent cookies may remain on your device until their stated expiration date or until you delete them.

Specific retention periods for cookies and similar technologies may be provided through our cookie preference tool or cookie list.

Browser Controls

Most web browsers also allow you to control or delete cookies through browser settings. Please note that browser-level cookie controls operate separately from privacy choices available through the Site, and blocking all cookies may affect the availability or functionality of certain Site features.

Updates to Our Use of Cookies

We may update our use of cookies and similar technologies as our websites, service providers, and digital services evolve. We may update this Cookie Policy and our cookie preference tool periodically to reflect those changes.

Complaints

If you are dissatisfied about any aspect of the way in which your data is processed, you may contact us. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, known as “Data Protection Authorities (DPAs)”.

Notification of a Data Breach

A “personal data breach” means a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure of, or access to, personal data transmitted, stored or otherwise processed.

Quaker Houghton applies appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage such as: security software’s, control access, staff trainings, etc.  If despite this, a data breach occurs in the Company and affects your personal data being likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms (e.g. financial loss, breach of confidentiality, discrimination, reputational damage, or other significant social or economic damage) we will communicate it to you as soon as reasonably feasible and without undue delay, in order to allow you to take the necessary precautions. We will provide you information about the nature of the personal data breach as well as recommendations to mitigate potential adverse effects. It will also be notified to the corresponding supervisory authority where feasible not later than seventy-two (72) hours after having become aware of it.

If you get acknowledgement of a breach that concerns Quaker Houghton information and personal data, please report it using the Hotline or send an email to [email protected] reporting it. We will get in touch with you.

Amendments

We may update our Personal Data Privacy Policy from time to time for legal or regulatory reasons or to allow the proper operation of the Company website. We will make reasonable efforts to notify you of any changes.