Privacy & Cookie Policy

1. Collection, processing and use of your personal data

1.1 Anonymous usage of our Website

You are welcome to visit our Website while remaining anonymous and without revealing any of your personal data. However, when you first visit our Website we will inform you about the cookies, which we place on your device to understand how our customers use our Website, to assess trends, statistics and our customers’ needs, which help us to improve our Website and to better serve our customers. Please see Section 2 below for a detailed description of the cookies and Website analysis tools we use for this purpose and your rights to change your choices.

If you do not agree with the above practices, you can use the opt-out mechanisms available (see Sections 2.2, 2.3, and 2.4 below).

Other than as indicated above, we will only collect your personal data if you voluntarily decide to share such information with us, such as by sending an enquiry (via our contact form) or requesting a specific service. Unless you have provided your explicit consent, and unless indicated otherwise in this Website Privacy & Cookie Policy, we will use the personal data that you have shared with us only as necessary for enabling your use of our Website, including handling your requests and providing the requested services. Apart from that, we may use any personal data we receive only in anonymized form (i.e., in a non-personally identifiable form which does not allow for any conclusions as to your identity) for statistical purposes and for internal evaluation how to improve our products and services. Your data will not be processed for other purposes or beyond the scope of this Website Privacy & Cookie Policy, except where expressly permitted or required by applicable law.

2. Cookies

2.1 Essential Cookies

Cookies are small text files that our Website asks to place on your computer or other internet enabled devices, such as tablets or smartphones. If your browser is set to accept cookies, then your browser adds the text in a small file.

Except as indicated otherwise in this Website Privacy & Cookie Policy, the cookies used by us are essential for the functioning and performance of our Website, such as by making our Website work more efficiently and facilitating your use of the functionalities and services provided. We will not use the information stored in essential cookies for any other purpose than as strictly necessary to provide you with the services and functionalities requested.

2.2 Cookie Banner & Personalised Tracking

When you access our Website, by displaying a Cookie Banner we will inform you about analytics cookies which we place on your device. These cookies are not strictly necessary for the functioning and performance of our Website but will help us to collect some anonymized information relating to your Website usage behaviour in order to improve our Website offering and services (see below Sections 2.4 and 2.5 for the corresponding cookies placed for Website analysis and remarketing purposes).

The wording of the Cookie Banner declaration can be viewed at the bottom of this Website Privacy & Cookie Policy. We explain the categories of non-essential cookies that may be placed on your device and their respective purposes in the context of the different services further below (see Sections 2.4 and 2.5). At all times, you have the right to individually opt-out from the placement of cookies and any collection of your information for the different purposes at any time with effect for the future, as further explained in the respective Sections 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5 below.

2.3 Managing Your Cookie Settings

Most browsers are initially set to accept cookies. If you prefer, you can change your settings to generally refuse cookies, to delete cookies that have already been placed on your device, or to warn you before a cookie is placed. Please refer to your browser instructions or to www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more about how to adjust or modify your browser settings.

If you use different devices to access our Website (e.g., smartphone, tablet, computer, etc.) you will need to ensure that each browser on each device is adjusted to reflect your cookie preferences.

2.4 Use of Google Universal Analytics

This Website uses Google Universal Analytics ("Google Analytics"), a web analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland (“Google”). Google uses cookies to help us analyse how users use our Website, including the number of visitors to our Website, the Websites our visitors have come from, and the pages they visit. This information is used by us to improve our Website offer and services. As a rule, any information generated by the cookie about your use of our Website will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States.

Google will use this information as our commissioned data processor to help us evaluate the use of our Website, to compile reports on Website activity and to provide other statistical and analytical services relating to usage of our Website. We use the Google anonymization function to change the last digits of your IP address. However, if you are logged in e.g. with a Google account, Google will be able to revoke the anonymization. In any event, Carag will never receive this information and cannot revoke the anonymization.

You may prevent the collection of data generated by the cookie about your use of this Website and opt-out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all Websites by downloading and installing a browser-plugin which is available here.

As an alternative to installing the browser-plugin, or in case you use our Website with browsers on mobile devices, you can also opt-out of being tracked by Google Analytics if you click on the following opt-out link: Opt-out of Google Analytics Tracking.

In this case, an opt-out cookie will be placed on your browser that prevents any further tracking of your use of this Website by Google Analytics. Please remember that you will have to opt-out again if you delete all cookies stored on your device. You will also have to opt-out for each device you use to visit our Website.

For an overview of privacy at Google, please click here.

2.5 Other Third-Party Cookies

Some content or applications, including advertisements, on the Website may be served by unaffiliated third parties. These may place cookies on your device for their own purposes. We do not control these third parties' tracking technologies or how they may be used.

You may prevent the placement of and tracking by such third-party cookies by adjusting or modifying your browser settings accordingly. For further information, please refer to your browser instructions.

3. Disclosure of your Personal Data

3.1 Carag may use external technical service providers which are authorized to provide services on its behalf and in accordance with its instructions. These entities may have access to your personal data but only to the extent necessary to enable your use of our Website, including providing related services or handling your requests or enquiries. For instance, Carag may use service providers to host our Website, store your personal data, or analyse the information collected as explained in Section 2. These service providers may not disclose your personal data to any unauthorized third parties or use your personal data for any purposes other than as instructed. Some of these service providers may be located in countries outside Switzerland and the EU/EEA which may not provide for the same level of data protection as in your country of residence. However, Carag and/or, as applicable, the Local Group Company have appropriate agreements in place with these service providers to ensure that they will take all necessary measures to protect your personal data in accordance with applicable requirements. For further information about our service providers, please contact us as further explained in Section 5 below.

3.2 Other than as indicated above, we will not provide your personal data to any third party without your prior consent, unless we are compelled by law to do so.

4. Storage of your Personal Data and Data Security

Your data will be stored on servers in Switzerland. In addition, Carag may use cloud service providers located in countries outside Switzerland and the EU/EEA, including the United States of America (USA), to host and process your personal data for storage, communication and marketing purposes. While the laws of those countries may not provide for the same level of data protection as considered adequate in Switzerland or the EU/EEA, we have taken the necessary measures to ensure your personal data will be handled and protected appropriately and only be processed on our behalf and in accordance with our instructions.

We will treat your personal data confidential. We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized disclosure or access, alteration, misuse, accidental or unlawful destruction or loss.

5. Your Rights / How to Contact Us

As per the provisions of applicable local data protection law, you have the right to request and access information as to what personal data we hold about you. In addition, where appropriate, you have the right to request the correction, deletion, portability and/or blocking of your personal data and/or to object to the processing of your personal data for legitimate reasons.

You may further at any time, with effect for the future, withdraw any consent you have given. For this purpose, please make use of the opt-out mechanisms provided for the different services (please see the respective descriptions in the corresponding Sections of this Website Privacy & Cookie Policy) or you can also contact us per email as indicated below.

In case of any questions about the collection, processing and/or use of your personal data or to exercise your rights please send us an email at info@carag.com.

7. Changes to this Website Privacy & Cookie Policy

We reserve the right to make changes to this Website Privacy & Cookie Policy at any time with effect for the future. The then current version of this Website Privacy & Cookie Policy will be made available on the Website. While we do not intend to make changes to this policy very often, it is always a good idea to double check our most current policy statement when you visit us to be sure that you have read and agree with what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances we disclose it.

Annex: Information declarations

To be fully transparent about its practices, Carag makes the content of information declarations obtained through its Website available for access by its users. In the context of your use of our Website, you have been informed as follows:

"Cookie banner

We only use essential and functional cookies, which are necessary to display our website correctly. Additionally, we use anonymized analytics cookies to review our traffic and to allow the best experience possible whenever you visit. We also share the anonymized information about your use of our site with analytics partners."