Privacy Policy
1. Data protection notice
The Hertzfeld Bioenergie GmbH (hereinafter “Hertzfeld“ or “We“ or “Us”) welcomes you to our internet pages and mobile applications (together also referred to as “Online Services”). We thank you for your interest in our company and our products.
2. Hertzfeld respects your privacy
For us, the protection of your privacy during the processing of personal data and the security of all business data are important matters, which we take into account in our business processes. We process personal data, which is collected when you visit our online services, confidentially and strictly in accordance with statutory regulations.
Data protection and information security are included in our corporate policy.
3. Controller
Hertzfeld Bioenergie GmbH is the controller responsible for the processing of your data; exceptions are outlined in this data protection notice. Our contact details are as follows:
Hertzfeld Bioenergie GmbH
Hauptstrasse 83
CH-8840 Einsiedeln
Switzerland
connect@hertzfeld.ch
4. Collection, processing and usage of personal data
4.1 Processed categories of data
The following categories of data are processed:
Technical data and connection data (e.g. IP address, data relating to the Internet connection)
4.2 Principles
Personal data is all information that relates to an identified or identifiable natural person, for example, names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and contractual, accounting and billing information that constitute an expression of an individual’s identity.
We collect, process and use personal data (including IP addresses) only when there is either a statutory legal basis to do so or if you have given your consent to the processing or use of personal data concerning this matter, e.g. by means of registration.
4.3 Processing purposes and legal bases
We; as well as the service providers commissioned by us; process your personal data for the following processing purposes:
4.3.1 Provision of these online offers
Legal basis: Our overriding interest in direct marketing, provided it complies with data protection and competition regulations.
4.3.2 In reply to user inquiries in the framework of a contact form
Legal basis: Our overriding interest in marketing and in the improvement of our products and services, provided this is in accordance with data protection and competition regulations, or for the purposes of contractual fulfilment or consent.
4.3.3 Resolving service disruptions as well as for security reasons
Legal basis: To fulfil our legal obligations regarding data security and our overriding interest with respect to the elimination of defects and the security of our services.
4.3.4 Self-promotion and promotion by others as well as market research and reach analysis done within the scope legally permitted or based on consent
Legal basis: Consent or predominantly, legitimate interest on our part in direct marketing if in accordance with data protection and competition law.
4.3.5 Safeguarding and defending our rights
Legal basis: Predominantly legitimate interest on our part in the assertion and defense of our rights.
4.4 Registration
If you wish to use or get access to benefits requiring to enter into the fulfillment of a contract, we request your registration. With your registration we collect personal data necessary for entering into the fulfillment of the contract (e.g. first name, last name, date of birth, email address, if applicable, details on the preferred payment method or on the account holder) as well as further data on voluntary basis, if applicable. Mandatory information is marked with an *.
4.5 Log files
Each time you use the internet, your browser is transmitting certain information which we store in so-called log files.
We save log files for 90 days to determine service disruptions and for security reasons (e.g., to investigate attack attempts) and delete them afterwards. Log files which need to be maintained for evidence purposes are excluded from deletion until the respective incident is resolved and may, on a case-by-case basis, be passed on to investigating authorities.
Log files (without or without a complete IP address) are also used for analysis purposes under the conditions of section 4.3.4 “Self-promotion and promotion by others as well as market research and reach analysis done within the scope legally permitted or based on consent”.
In log files, in particular the following information is saved:
- IP address (internet protocol address) of the terminal device used to access the online service;
- Internet address of the website from which the online service is accessed (so-called URL of origin or referrer URL);
- Name of the service provider which was used to access the online service;
- Name of the files or information accessed;
- Date and time as well as duration of recalling the data;
- Amount of data transferred;
- Operating system and information on the internet browser used, including add-ons installed (e.g., Flash Player);
- http status code (e.g., “Request successful” or “File requested not found”).
4.6 Chatbots/automated answering systems
Within the framework of this online service, we provide you with the opportunity to send us messages, ask us questions, obtain advice and/or manage your products by means of speech input and/or text input.
In order to process your inputs, we employ technical systems that create partially automated replies or perform commands.
For this purpose, we store the input history during the course of the communication. Once the communication is completed, the input history is quickly erased or anonymised, provided the input history is not part of a support or service request. Where this is the case, the input history will be assigned to your customer account and saved for the purposes of contract fulfilment.
4.7 Children
This online service is not meant for children under 16 years of age.
4.8 Data transfer
4.8.1 Data transfer to other controllers
Principally, your personal data is forwarded to other controllers only if required for the fulfillment of a contractual obligation, or if we ourselves, or a third party, have a legitimate interest in the data transfer, or if you have given your consent. Particulars on the legal bases can be found in the Section – Purposes of Processing and Legal Bases. Third parties may also be other companies of the Hertzfeld cluster. When data is transferred to third parties based on a legitimate interest, this is explained in this data protection notice.
Additionally, data may be transferred to other controllers when we are obliged to do so due to statutory regulations or enforceable administrative or judicial orders.
4.8.2 Service providers (general)
We involve external service providers with tasks such as sales and marketing services, contract management, payment handling, programming, data hosting and hotline services. We have chosen those service providers carefully and monitor them on a regular basis, especially regarding their diligent handling of and protection of the data that they store. All service providers are obliged to maintain confidentiality and to comply to the statutory provisions. Service providers may also be others in the Hertzfeld cluster.
4.8.3 Transfer to recipients outside of Switzerland
We might transfer personal data to recipients located outside of Switzerland into so-called third countries. In such cases, prior to the transfer we ensure that either the data recipient provides an appropriate level of data protection or that you have consented to the transfer. You are entitled to receive an overview of third country recipients and a copy of the specifically agreed-provisions securing an appropriate level of data protection. For this purpose, please use the statements made in the “Contact” section.
4.9 Duration of storage; retention periods
Principally, we store your data for as long as it is necessary to render our Online Services and connected services or for as long as we have a legitimate interest in storing the data (e.g. we might still have a legitimate interest in postal mail marketing after fulfillment of our contractual obligations). In all other cases we delete your personal data with the exception of data we are obliged to store for the fulfillment of legal obligations (e.g. due to retention periods under the tax and commercial codes we are obliged to have documents such as contracts and invoices available for a certain period of time).
5. Cookies usage
In the context of our online service, cookies and tracking mechanisms may be used. Cookies are small text files that may be stored on your device when visiting our online service. Tracking is possible using different technologies. In particular, we process information using pixel technology and/or during log file analysis.
5.1 Categories
We distinguish between cookies that are mandatorily required for the technical functions of the online service and such cookies and tracking mechanisms that are not mandatorily required for the technical function of the online service.
It is generally possible to use the online service without any cookies that serve non-technical purposes.
5.1.1 Technically required cookies
By technically required cookies we mean cookies without those the technical provision of the online service cannot be ensured. These include e.g. cookies that store data to ensure smooth reproduction of video or audio footage. Such cookies will be deleted when you leave the website.
5.1.2 Cookies and tracking mechanisms that are technically not required
We use marketing cookies and tracking mechanisms. We only use such cookies and tracking mechanisms if you have given us your prior consent in each case:
General:
By using marketing cookies and tracking mechanisms we and our partners are able to show you offerings based on your interests, resulting from an analysis of your user behaviour:
Statistics:
By using statistical tools, we measure e.g. the number of your page views.
Conversion tracking:
Our conversion tracking partners place a cookie on your computer (“conversion cookie”) if you accessed our website via an advertisement of the respective partner. Normally these cookies are no longer valid after 30 days. If you visit certain pages of our website and the cookie has not yet expired, we and the relevant conversion partner can recognize that a certain user clicked on the advertisement and thereby was redirected to our website. The information obtained by means of the conversion cookie serves the purpose of compiling conversion statistics and recording the total number of users who clicked on the respective advertisement and were redirected to a website with a conversion tracking tag.
Social plugins:
Some of the pages of our online service involve content and services of other providers (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) which also may use cookies and active modules. For more details regarding social plugins please refer to the section on “social plugins” (see no. 7).
Please note that using the tools might include transfer of your data to recipients outside of Switzerland and the EEA where there is no adequate level of data protection pursuant to the Swiss GDPR (e.g. the USA). For more details in this respect please refer to the following description of the individual marketing tools:
Name: Google Analytics
Provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland
Function: Analysis of user behavior (page retrievals, number of visitors and visits, downloads), creation of pseudonymous user profiles based on cross-device information of logged-in Google users (cross-device tracking), enrichment of pseudonymous user data with target group-specific information provided by Google, retargeting, UX testing, conversion tracking, and retargeting in conjunction with Google Ads
Name: Google Tag Manager
Provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland
Function: Administration of website tags via a user interface, integration of program codes on our websites
Name: Google Ads
Provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland
Function: Placement of advertisements, remarketing, conversion tracking
Further information is available at: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated
5.2 Management of cookies and tracking mechanisms
You can manage your cookie and tracking mechanism settings in the browser and/or our privacy settings.
Note: The settings you have made refer only to the browser used in each case.
5.2.1 Deactivation of all cookies
If you wish to deactivate all cookies, please deactivate cookies in your browser settings. Please note that this may affect the functionality of the website.
5.2.2 Management of your settings with regard to cookies and tracking mechanisms not required technically
When visiting our websites, you will be asked in a cookie layer whether you consent to our using of any marketing cookies or tracking mechanisms, respectively.
In our privacy settings, you may withdraw the consent with effect for the future or grant your consent at a later point in time.
6. Google
6.1 Google Maps
This page uses the map service Google Maps via an API. The provider is Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
For the use of the functions of Google Maps it is necessary to store your IP address. This information is usually transmitted to a server of Google LLC in the USA and saved there. The provider of this page does not have any influence on this transmission of data.
The use of Google Maps is in the interest of an appealing presentation of our online offers and an easy retrievability of the places listed by us on the website. This represents a predominant legitimate interest on our part within the meaning of article 6 section 1 lit. f GDPR.
Please see the privacy policy of Google for more information on the handling of user data: https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/.
6.2 Google web fonts
This site uses so-called web fonts of the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA for the uniform display of fonts. When you access a page, your browser loads the required web fonts into your browser cache to display texts and fonts correctly.
For this purpose, the browser you are using has to connect to the servers of Google. This informs Google that our website was accessed via your IP address. The use of Google web fonts is in the interest of a uniform and appealing presentation of our online offers. This represents a predominant legitimate interest on our part within the meaning of article 6 section 1 lit. f GDPR.
Your computer will use a standard font if your browser does not support web fonts.
For more information about Google web fonts please see https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq and the privacy policy of
Google: https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/.
7. Content Delivery Network of Microsoft Azure
In order to optimize the loading times of our online offer, we use Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN) Services. Providers are Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA and Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18 D18, Ireland.
The CDN helps to provide the content of our online offer — especially large media files such as graphics, text, or scripts — more quickly with the help of a network of geographically distributed servers, thereby reducing loading times.
The use of the CDN service is based on our overriding interest, as defined in Article 6(1f) GDPR, in an efficient provision of our online service.
During the course of this processing, personal data is transmitted to the USA. This transfer is based on European standard contractual clauses, whereby Microsoft is obligated to comply with European data protection law in the performance of its services.
Further information on privacy in connection with Microsoft’s CDN service is available here: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/legal/. Microsoft’s privacy policy can be found here: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement.
8. Social Plugins
In our Online Services we use so-called social plugins from various social networks. They are individually described in this section.
When using plugins, your internet browser creates a direct connection to the respective social networks’ server. This way, the respective provider receives the information that your internet browser accessed from the respective site of our Online Services – even if you do not have a user account with this provider or are currently not logged into your account. Log files (including the IP address) are, in this case, directly transmitted from your internet browser to a server of the respective provider and might be stored there. The provider or its server may be located outside the EU or the EEA (e.g. in the United States).
The plugins are standalone extensions by social network providers. For this reason, we are unable to influence the scope of data collected and stored by them.
Purpose and scope of the collection, the continued processing and usage of data by the social network as well as your respective rights and setting options to protect your privacy can be found by consulting the respective social network’s data protection notices.
In case you do not wish social network providers to receive and, if applicable, store or use data, you should not use the respective plugins.
8.1 Social plugins with 2-click solution
With a so-called 2-click solution, we protect you from having your visits to our websites recorded and evaluated by social network providers as standard. When you access a page of our internet offer, which contains such plugins, these are initially deactivated. The plugins are not activated until you click the provided button.
8.2 Facebook plugins
Facebook is operated under Facebook Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Irland, (“Facebook”). Find an overview over Facebook’s plugins and their appearance here: http://developers.facebook.com/plugins; find information on data protection at Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/policy.php.
8.2 Plugins von Twitter
Twitter is operated by Twitter Inc, 1355 Market St, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA (“Twitter”). An overview of Twitter plugins and their appearance can be found here: https://twitter.com/about/resources/buttons; information on data protection on Twitter can be found here: https://twitter.com/privacy.
8.3 YouTube
Our Online Services use the YouTube video platform which is operated by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland („YouTube”). YouTube is a platform which allows the playback of audio and video files.
When you access a respective site of our Online Services that contains an embedded YouTube player, this creates a connection to YouTube so that the video or audio file can be transmitted and played back. In doing so, data is transferred to YouTube as a data processor. We are not responsible for the processing of such data by YouTube.
Additional information on the scope and purpose of collected data, on further processing and usage of data by YouTube, on your rights and the privacy options available to be chosen by you, can be found in YouTube’s data protection notice.
9. External links
Our Online Services may contain links to third party internet pages – by providers who are not related to us. Once the link is clicked, we have no further control over the collection, processing or use of any of the personal data (such as IP address or URL of the page containing the link) transmitted to the third party upon clicking the link, since the conduct of third parties is clearly beyond our control. We assume no responsibility for the processing of personal data by third parties.
10. Security
Our employees and the companies providing services on our behalf, are obliged to confidentiality and to compliance with the applicable data protection laws.
We take all necessary technical and organizational measures to ensure an appropriate level of security and to protect your data that are administrated by us especially from the risks of unintended or unlawful destruction, manipulation, loss, change or unauthorized disclosure or unauthorized access. Our security measures are, pursuant to technological progress, constantly being improved.
11. User rights
To enforce your rights, please use the details provided in the Contact section. In doing so, please ensure that an unambiguous identification of your person is possible.
Right to information and access:
You have the right to obtain confirmation from us about whether or not your personal data is being processed, and, if this is the case, access to your personal data.
Right to correction and deletion:
You have the right to obtain the rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning yourself without undue delay from us. Taking into account the purposes of the processing, you have the right to have incomplete personal data completed, including by means of providing a supplementary statement.
This does not apply to data which is necessary for billing or accounting purposes or which is subject to a statutory retention period. If access to such data is not required, however, its processing is restricted (see the following).
Restriction of processing:
You have the right to demand for – as far as statutory requirements are fulfilled – restriction of the processing of your data.
Objection to data processing:
You have the right to object to data processing by us at any time. We will no longer process the personal data unless we demonstrate compliance with legal requirements to provide provable reasons for the further processing which are beyond your interests, rights and freedoms or for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.
Objection to direct marketing:
In addition, you can object at any time to the processing of your personal data for marketing purposes (“objection to marketing”). Please note that, for organisational reasons, there may be an overlap between the submission of your objection and the use of your data where a campaign is already ongoing.
Objection to data processing based on the legal basis of “legitimate interest”:
In addition, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data at any time, insofar as this is based on a legitimate interest. We will then terminate the processing of your data, unless we demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds according to legal requirements which override your rights.
Withdrawal of consent:
In case you consented to the processing of your data, you have the right to revoke this consent with immediate effect. The legality of data processing prior to your withdrawal of consent remains unchanged.
Our contact details are as follows:
Hertzfeld Bioenergie GmbH
Hauptstrasse 83
CH-8840 Einsiedeln
Switzerland
connect@hertzfeld.ch
11.1 Data portability:
You are entitled to receive data that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format or – if technically feasible – to demand that we transfer those data to a third party.
11.2 Right of complaint with supervisory authority:
You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. You can appeal to the supervisory authority which is responsible for your place of residence or your state of residency or to the supervisory authority responsible for us. This is:
Office of the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner FDPIC
Feldeggweg 1
CH – 3003 Berne
Tel.: +41 58 462 43 95
Fax: +41 58 465 99 96
12. Changes to the Data Protection Notice
We reserve the right to change our security and data protection measures if this is required due to technical development. In such cases, we will amend our data protection notice accordingly. Please, therefore, notice the current version of our data protection notice, as this is subject to change.
13. Contact
If you wish to contact us, please find us at the address stated below.
Hertzfeld Bioenergie GmbH
Hauptstrasse 83
CH-8840 Einsiedeln
Switzerland
connect@hertzfeld.ch
Effective date: June 2025