Privacy Policy

Eurofins BLC Leather Technology Centre Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”) understands that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your Personal Data is used and shared online. We respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits our websites, blcleathertech.com; blcchemicaltesting.com; leathersustainability.com; chem-map.com and all-about-leather.co.uk (“Our Sites”) and will only collect and use Personal Data in ways that are described here, and in a manner that is consistent with our obligations and your rights under the law.

Please read this Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) carefully together with any other privacy notices/policies or fair processing notices/policies we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing Personal Data about you and ensure that you understand all the information contained within them. This Privacy Policy is intended to supplement the other notices and is not intended to override them. Your acceptance of our Privacy Policy is deemed to occur upon your first use of Our Sites.

Please use the Definitions and Interpretations which can be found below to understand the meaning of some of the terms used in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy was last updated on 5th September 2018.  Any changes to our Privacy Policy in the future will be posted here. However, we will not make any material changes to the way we process your personal information without where appropriate notifying you by email. You should review this Privacy Policy from time to time for any updates or changes.

It is important that the Personal Data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your Personal Data changes.

In this Privacy Policy, the following terms shall have the following meanings: 

2.1          Our Sites are owned and operated by Eurofins BLC Leather Technology Centre Ltd., a limited company registered in England under company number 07009052, whose registered address is Kings Park Road, Moulton Park, Northampton, NN3 6JD, UK and whose main trading address is Kings Park Road, Moulton Park, Northampton, NN3 6JD, UK.

2.2          Our VAT number is GB 977 8580 44.

2.3          We are the Data Controller and responsible for the Personal Data that we collect about you through your use of Our Sites.

2.4          The person in charge of data protection compliance here at Eurofins | BLC is Ken Hennah.  He can be contacted by email at [email protected], by telephone on +44 (0) 1604 679 999, or by post at Eurofins BLC Leather Technology Centre Ltd., Kings Park Road, Moulton Park, Northampton, NN3 6JD, UK.

2.5          We are PCI Compliant as accredited by Security Metrics Ltd.

This Privacy Policy applies to any Personal Data we collect from you. Our Sites may contain links to other websites. Please note that We have no control over how your data is collected, stored, or used by other websites and We advise you to check the privacy policies of any such websites before providing any data to them.

4.1          Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your Personal Data. You can:

4.1.1     Request access to your Personal Data (commonly known as a "data subject access request"). This enables you to receive a copy of the Personal Data we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.

4.1.2     Request correction of your Personal Data that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you corrected, though we may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to us.

4.1.3     Request erasure of your Personal Data. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove Personal Data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your Personal Data where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing (see below), where we may have processed your information unlawfully or where we are required to erase your Personal Data to comply with local law. Note, however, that we may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request.)

4.1.4     Object to the processing of your Personal Data where we are relying on a legitimate interest or those of a third party and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground as you feel it impacts on your fundamental rights and freedoms. You also have the right to object where we are processing your Personal Data for direct marketing purposes. In some cases, we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms.

4.1.5     Request restriction of processing your Personal Data. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of your Personal Data in the following scenarios: (a) if you want us to establish the data's accuracy; (b) where our use of the data is unlawful but you do not want us to erase it; (c) where you need us to hold the data even if we no longer require it as you need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims; or (d) you have objected to our use of your data but we need to verify whether we have overriding legitimate grounds to use it.

4.1.6     Requests transfer of your Personal Data to you or to a third party. We will provide to you, or a third party you have chosen, your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. Note that this right only applies to automated information which you initially provided consent for us to use or where we used the information to perform a contract with you.

4.1.7     Right to withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your Personal Data. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain products or services to you. We will advise you if this is the case at the time you withdraw your consent.

4.2          If you wish to find out more about the above rights or to exercise any of the above rights, please contact us by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. We will try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated.

4.3          Please keep in mind there are exceptions to the rights set out above, though we will always try to respond to your satisfaction, there may be situations where we are unable to do so.

Depending upon your use of any of Our Sites, We may collect some or all of the following personal and non-Personal Data (please also see section 16 on Our use of Cookies and similar technologies):

5.1          name;

5.2          business/company name

5.3          job title;

5.4          profession;

5.5          contact information such as email addresses and telephone numbers;

5.6          demographic information such as post code, preferences, and interests;

5.7          financial information such as credit / debit card numbers;

5.8          IP address;

5.9          web browser type and version;

5.10       operating system;

5.11       a list of URLs starting with a referring site, your activity on Our Sites, and the site you exit to;

5.12       relevant information on colleagues who may be attending training courses, including names, job titles, dietary requirements and any other relevant information disclosed at the time of booking.

5.13       If you are applying for a job with us, we will also collect details of the role you are interested in and your CV. If you are unsuccessful, we will retain this for up to 1 year following notification that you have been unsuccessful.

6.1        We will only process your Personal Data when the law allows us to. The legal basis for processing your Personal Data for the above reasons will typically be one of the following:

6.1.1     When we have your consent; or

6.1.2     Where we need to perform the contract we are to enter into or have entered into with you; or

6.1.3     Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests; or

6.1.4     Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.

6.2        Where we rely on legitimate interests, the interests we are relying on are:

6.2.1     to keep our records updated and to study how Our Sites and services are used;

6.2.2     to administer and protect our business and web presence (including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting);

6.2.3     to inform our marketing strategies; and

6.2.4     to grow our business.

7.1       We will process/use your Personal Data for the following purposes:

7.1.1     providing and managing your Account;

7.1.2     personalising and tailoring your experience on Our Sites;

7.1.3     supplying Our products AND services to you or your organisation;

7.1.4     communicating with you in general in order to provide our services; or

7.1.5     as part of our efforts to keep Our Sites safe and secure.

7.2        we may also use your Personal Data to recognise you when you return to one of Our Sites please view section 16 for more information about Cookies.

7.3        with your permission and/or where permitted by law, We may also use your data for marketing purposes which may include contacting you by email, telephone or post with information, news and offers on Our products AND services. We will not, however, send you any unsolicited marketing or spam and will take all steps to ensure that We fully protect your rights and comply with Our obligations under the Data Protection Legislation.

8.1          We will only retain your Personal Data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal requirements. This means that Personal Data is destroyed or erased from our systems when no longer required.  

9.1          Data security is very important to us, and to protect your data we have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your Personal Data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your Personal Data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your Personal Data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

9.2          We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected Personal Data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.

9.3          Of course, we cannot absolutely guarantee the security of the internet or external networks and any online communications (e.g. information provided by email or through any of our Sites are at your own risk).

9.4          Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of one or more of our Sites, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential and we ask that you do not share this password with anyone.

10.1          Our Sites may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements/policies. When you leave one of Our Sites, we encourage you to read the privacy notice/policy of every website you visit.

10.2          Third parties (including but not limited to Verto) whose content appears on Our Sites may also use third party Cookies, as detailed below in section 16.  Please refer to section 16 for more information on controlling Cookies. Please note as mentioned above we do not control these third-parties and how they use your Personal Data.

11.1        We may share your data as follows:

11.1.1     with other companies in Our group for contracted work, training, consulting, auditing and research projects requiring the expertise of third parties;

11.1.2     with our employees on a ‘need to know’ basis for legal, business or administrative purposes;

11.1.3     with third parties to supply products and services to you on Our behalf. These may include payment processing, delivery of goods, search engine facilities, advertising, and marketing. In some cases, the third parties may require access to some or all of your data. Where any of your data is required for such a purpose, We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data will be handled safely, securely, and in accordance with your rights, Our obligations, and the obligations of the third party under the law;

11.1.4     with third parties such as prospective investors, affiliates, partners, and advertisers (the data that will be shared in this instance is statistical data that we have compiled about your use of Our Sites including data on traffic, usage patterns, user numbers, sales, and other information. All such data will be anonymised and will not include any personally identifying data, or any anonymised data that can be combined with other data and used to identify you.)

11.1.5     government or official bodies where we may be legally required to do so, for example, where We are involved in legal proceedings, where We are complying with legal requirements, a court order, or a governmental authority.

12.1        We use service providers located outside the United Kingdom, mainly in the European Union and the European Economic Area ("EEA"), however we may also transfer your personal data to other countries like Canada, USA, or India. As far as potential transfers of data outside the UK will take place (so called restricted data transfers), they will be based on the relevant adequacy decision issued by the competent authorities in line with the UK GDPR. At the present time UK "adequacy regulations" include the EEA and all countries, territories and international organisations covered by European Commission "adequacy decisions" valid as at 31 December 2020. More detailed information on the UK "adequacy regulations" can be found here. The UK intends to review these adequacy regulations over time. More detailed information about the European Commission adequacy decisions can be found here.

13.1          We may, from time to time, expand or reduce our business and this may involve the sale and/or the transfer of control of all or part of our business. Any Personal Data that you have provided will, where it is relevant to any part of our business that is being transferred, be transferred along with that part and the new owner or newly controlling party will, under the terms of this Privacy Policy, be permitted to use that data only for the same purposes for which it was originally collected by us.

13.2           In the event that any of your data is to be transferred in such a manner, you will not be contacted in advance and informed of the changes.

14.1          From time to time, we may wish to send you (companies only) details regarding our products and services, upcoming special offers and other information which may be of interest to you, in accordance with GDPR and PECR. Eurofins | BLC does not send unsolicited marketing communications to members of the public, sole traders or partnerships unless by request or if there is a pre-existing relationship.

14.2          You can opt-out of receiving emails from us by unsubscribing using the links provided in each of Our marketing emails, or by contacting us at [email protected].

15.1        You may access certain areas of Our Sites without providing any data at all. However, to use all features and functions available on one or more of Our Sites you may be required to submit or allow for the collection of certain data.

16.1       As you interact with Our Sites, we may automatically collect Personal Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this Personal Data by using cookies and other similar technologies.

16.2       Our Sites may place and access certain first party Cookies on your computer or device. First party Cookies are those placed directly by us and are used only by us. As mentioned, we use Cookies to facilitate and improve your experience of Our Sites and to provide and improve our products AND services. We have carefully chosen these Cookies and have taken steps to ensure that your privacy and Personal Data is protected and respected at all times.

16.3       By using Our Sites you may also receive certain third party Cookies on your computer or device. Third party Cookies are those placed by websites, services, and/or parties other than us. Third party Cookies are used on Our Sites for analytics and remarketing. These Cookies are not integral to the functioning of Our Sites and your use and experience of Our Sites will not be impaired by refusing consent to them.

16.4       All Cookies used by and on Our Sites are used in accordance with current Cookie Law.

16.5       Before Cookies are placed on your computer or device, you will be shown a pop-up requesting your consent to set those Cookies or to learn more about our Privacy Policy. By continuing to browse any of Our Sites, you are giving your consent to the placing of Cookies. Cookies enable us to provide the best possible experience and service to you. You may, if you wish, deny consent to the placing of Cookies; however certain features of Our Sites may not function fully or as intended.

16.6       Certain features of Our Sites depend on Cookies to function. Cookie Law deems these Cookies to be “strictly necessary”. Your consent will not be sought to place these Cookies, but it is still important that you are aware of them. You may still block these Cookies by changing your internet browser’s settings as detailed in section 16.9 below, but please be aware that Our Sites may not work properly if you do so. We have taken great care to ensure that your privacy is not at risk by allowing them.

16.7       Our Sites use analytics services provided by Google. Website analytics refers to a set of tools used to collect and analyse anonymous usage information, enabling us to better understand how Our Sites are used. This, in turn, enables us to improve Our Sites and the products AND services offered through them. You do not have to allow us to use these Cookies, however whilst our use of them does not pose any risk to your privacy or your safe use of Our Sites, it does enable us to continually improve them, making the experience of using them better and more useful.

If you do not wish to be tracked by Google’s analytics services, you can refuse the use of these cookies by downloading and installing Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

16.8       We do use sharing buttons in order to make it easier for you to follow our content via your social media pages. These buttons are third-party cookies which are placed onto your computer or device when you visit any of Our Sites. Even without you clicking on the relevant sharing button, these social media platforms are aware that you have visited one or more of Our Sites, and may use this information when building their profile of you, and deciding what advertisements you might like to see. You should check the respective policies of each of these social networks to see how exactly they use your Personal Data. This process does not involve us collecting or storing any of your Personal Data ourselves.

16.9       In addition to the controls that we provide, you can choose to enable or disable Cookies in your internet browser. Most internet browsers also enable you to choose whether you wish to disable all cookies or only third party Cookies. By default, most internet browsers accept Cookies but this can be changed. For further details, please consult the help menu in your internet browser or the documentation that came with your device.

16.10       You can choose to delete Cookies on your computer or device at any time, however you may lose any information that enables you to access Our Sites more quickly and efficiently including, but not limited to, login and personalisation settings.

16.11       It is recommended that you keep your internet browser and operating system up-to-date and that you consult the help and guidance provided by the developer of your internet browser and manufacturer of your computer or device if you are unsure about adjusting your privacy settings.
 

If you have any questions or complaints about Our Sites or this Privacy Policy, please contact us by email at [email protected], by telephone on +44 (0) 1604 679 999, or by post at Eurofins BLC Leather Technology Centre Ltd., Kings Park Road, Moulton Park, Northampton, NN3 6JD, UK. Please ensure that your query is clear, particularly if it is a data subject access request.

September 2018

EUROFINS BLC LEATHER TECHNOLOGY CENTRE LIMITED