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Accessibility Statement DSM Austria GmbH

1. Declaration on Accessibility

DSM Austria GmbH is committed to making its webshop (https://dsm-firmenich.wertpraesent-shops.com/en/) accessible in accordance with the Accessibility Act (BaFG), as amended, to implement Directive (EU) 2019/882. This accessibility statement applies specifically to this webshop.

2. Status of Compatibility with Requirements

This digital application (webshop) is partially compliant with Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (W3C Recommendation) and the applicable European Standard EN 301 549. The reasons for partial compliance are the discrepancies and exceptions listed in detail in the next section. (Note: Full compliance would mean that none of the following barriers exist.)

3. Non-Accessible Content

The following content is not accessible for the following reasons:

a) Incompatibility with Accessibility Requirements

1.1.1 Text Alternatives

  • Images, graphics, and icon buttons lack or have insufficient alternative text; screen readers cannot convey the content.

1.3.1 Info & Relationships

  • Empty headings, duplicate or missing main landmarks, and incorrect list mark-ups hinder semantic structure.
  • Invalid or missing ARIA roles (incl. child roles) prevent correct mapping for assistive technologies.

1.4.3 Minimum Contrast (Text)

  • Text and links have too little color contrast; links differ only in color from the body text.

1.4.4 Resize Text

  • At 200 % zoom, horizontal scrolling is required.

1.4.10 Reflow

  • Layout does not adapt to small viewports, making horizontal scrolling necessary.

1.4.11 Non-Text Contrast

  • Graphic control elements do not achieve the required contrast ratio of 3:1.

2.1.1 Keyboard Navigation

  • Nested interactive elements and unmarked scroll areas cannot be accessed using the keyboard.

2.2.2 Pause / Stop / Hide

  • An automatically running slider does not offer the option of stopping or pausing.

2.4.2 Page titles

  • Document titles are missing or not meaningful, which makes orientation difficult.

2.4.4 Link purpose (in context)

  • Links and buttons have generic labels such as “More”, so their purpose remains unclear without context.

2.4.6 Headings & labels

  • Headings are empty or ambiguous; form fields lack visible labels.

2.4.7 Focus visible

  • The keyboard focus is barely visible, which means that users do not perceive the current position.

3.3.1 Error identification

  • Input errors are reported, but only in general terms without a precise indication of the cause.

3.3.2 Labels or instructions

  • Form elements have no or insufficient labels, so the purpose and desired input are not clear.

3.3.3 Error suggestions

  • In case of input errors, no specific instructions for correction are offered.

4.1.1 Parsing (clean syntax)

  • Invalid HTML structures (empty headings, duplicate main landmarks, incorrect roles, incorrect lists) impair interpretation by tools.

4.1.2 Name, role, value

  • Links/buttons without programmatic names, landmark conflicts and missing or incorrect ARIA attributes prevent the correct recognition of UI elements.

4.1.3 Status messages

  • Dynamic status updates are not communicated programmatically to assistive technologies.

Note: Work is already underway to eliminate the above-mentioned barriers. DSM Austria GmbH has started internal processes to evaluate and gradually eliminate these deficiencies.

b) Content outside the scope of application

External payment processing

Payment processing (e.g. credit card, PayPal, Klarna, Sofortüberweisung) is carried out by independent payment service providers. These payment pages are operated exclusively by the respective provider in terms of technology and content and are therefore outside the organizational and financial control of DSM Austria GmbH.

In accordance with § 14 para. 2 no. 3 BaFG (content of third parties outside the sphere of influence), they therefore do not fall within the scope of this declaration.

The payment service providers concerned, as economic operators in their own right, are obliged to comply with the requirements of the BaFG and, if necessary, to provide their own accessibility statement.

c) Disproportionate burden (§ 18 BaFG)

Product images without alternative Texts

Our web store currently contains around 300 product images that were imported without complete alt-texts.
The subsequent creation, quality control and re-importing of barrier-free image descriptions for this historical image material would represent a disproportionate organizational and financial burden within the meaning of § 18 BaFG.
However, DSM Austria GmbH undertakes to systematically provide meaningful alternative texts for all newly published products from June 28, 2025 at the latest. In addition, existing bestsellers and frequently accessed product pages will also be gradually revised on a prioritized basis.

Until the changeover is complete, we offer customers with visual impairments the following barrier-free alternative access:

  • Telephone product advice at +43 7242 93 696 4311 (Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
  • E-mail inquiries to webshopsupport@wertpraesent.com stating the relevant item number; we will send a textual description of the image within 48 hours on working days (Monday to Friday).

4. Creation of this statement

This declaration was created for the first time on June 24, 2025. The assessment of compatibility with the accessibility requirements was carried out as an external audit by experts from MSTAGE GmbH on the basis of around 20 selected WCAG 2.1 success criteria at conformance level A and AA in June 2025. The start page as well as a representative product category page and product detail page were tested. Identified deficiencies were documented and incorporated into the ongoing optimization. DSM Austria GmbH will update this declaration in the event of significant changes to the web store. (See section 7 for details of the regular review).

5. Feedback & contact option

We want to continuously improve our services and remove barriers. If you notice any deficiencies with regard to the accessibility of our digital services - problems that are not yet described in this statement or a violation of the accessibility requirements - we ask you to report these to our partner WERTPRÄSENT GmbH. WERTPRÄSENT GmbH will review your information and respond as quickly as possible.

Please send your feedback by e-mail to webshopsupport@wertpraesent.com and use “Report of a barrier in the dsm-firmenich Shop” in the subject line if possible. Describe the problem and, if possible, let us know the URL or the exact location of the content in question so that we can trace the barrier.

Contact:

Alexander Gutmayer

Content Manager

WERTPRÄSENT GmbH

Carl Auer-von-Welsbach-Straße 17 | A-4614 Marchtrenk | https://www.wertpraesent.com/

Tel.: +43 7242 93 696 4311 | Fax: 4323 | E-Mail:  webshopsupprt@wertpraesent.com

6. Enforcment / Complaint procedure

If you do not receive a satisfactory response to your feedback from us within a reasonable period of time, you have the option of submitting a complaint from June 28, 2025. The responsible authority is the market surveillance authority according to the BaFG, currently the Social Ministry Service (SMS) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection. You can submit the complaint informally - for example via e-mail or online contact form - to the Social Ministry Service.

Important: The formal complaints procedure according to § 25 ff. BaFG will only be available from June 28, 2025. Before this date, please report any barriers directly to us. We will of course also examine and rectify your information.

The Social Ministry Service will examine your complaint to determine whether there has been a breach of the requirements of the BaFG. It may ask the company to comment and recommend measures to remedy the situation. If the company continues to fail to comply with the accessibility requirements, the authority can initiate administrative penalty proceedings in accordance with § 36 BaFG - in extreme cases, fines of up to € 80.000 may be imposed. As a final consequence, products could even be withdrawn from the market or services banned. (We naturally hope that this will not happen and will do everything we can to rectify any shortcomings voluntarily).

7. Date of publication & last review

This statement was published on July 3, 2025.