Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Privacy Policy

Mettler Toledo International Inc. and its affiliates ("METTLER TOLEDO") take data protection seriously. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use personal data and to meeting our obligations.

This Privacy Policy describes the type of information that METTLER TOLEDO collects from you and other users of this internet site (www.mt.com) (the "Site"), what METTLER TOLEDO does with the information collected from or provided by you, and how you can update and control the use of information you provide. This Privacy Policy applies regardless of whether you access or use this Site via a computer, mobile device or other platform. This Privacy Policy also applies to personal information we obtain through email communications, our online channels (including other websites, online shops, mobile applications, and social media websites that reference this Privacy Policy, here "MT Online Channels") and to personal information you provide us offline, e.g. at trade shows or sales exhibitions, when you place an order over the phone, or when you contact our customer service. 

This Privacy Policy does not apply to personal information obtained through our Careers portal, which is subject to the Mettler-Toledo Recruitment Privacy Notice available here.

Use of this Site and the matters addressed by the Privacy Policy are subject to the Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Terms and Conditions of Use (the "Terms and Conditions") available here.

METTLER TOLEDO operates this Site and MT Online Channels for business, professional, and academic visitors and their organizations. Portions of this Site and MT Online Channels are available to all users; access to certain portions is restricted to users who register or otherwise qualify for such access. This Site and MT Online Channels are not intended for general public consumers.

METTLER TOLEDO manages different privacy policies, notices, and terms and conditions to comply with the laws and regulations of different countries. While our Site attempts to supply the most relevant default policies for your use based on the country location of your IP address, it is not possible for the Site to always accurately identify and select the policies that apply to you. You may find and review all of the METTLER TOLEDO legal terms relevant to your use of the Site by visiting our legal portal at https://www.mt.com/legal and then selecting your current country location from the drop-down menu at the top of the page.

1. What Information Do We Collect And How Do We Collect It?

(i) Information Provided By You

METTLER TOLEDO receives and stores information that you provide through the Site or the MT Online Channels. You provide information to METTLER TOLEDO when you undertake actions such as: search the Site, contribute submissions, establish an account, buy a product, post a message, participate in a forum or questionnaire, or communicate with customer service. 

As a result of these actions, you might supply METTLER TOLEDO with information such as: 

• contact information, such as your full name, company name, company address, phone numbers, fax numbers, and email address;
• information used to create an online account (e.g. username, password); 
• your profession; your (professional) fields of interests; employer; professional licensing information and credentials; fulfillment of continuing education requirements;  
• payment data necessary for processing payments and fraud prevention, including credit/debit card numbers, security code numbers, and other related billing information, such as account numbers;
• further information obtained in relation to a project or contractual relationship with METTLER TOLEDO, such as persons to whom purchases have been shipped, including address and phone number;
• the content of emails you have sent to METTLER TOLEDO and of other messages posted by you on MT Online Channels;
• non-personal information on the company you work for or with which you have a relationship, such as its industry, sector, location, purchase and customer history, etc.

(ii) Information Obtained Via Cookies Or Other Technical Means

Certain information is automatically received and stored whenever you interact with METTLER TOLEDO and/or the Site or MT Online Channels. 

The Site and MT Online Channels may use "cookies," "web beacons," and comparable technologies to obtain information when a web browser accesses the Site. A detailed description of the cookies used by METTLER TOLEDO and the purposes for which they are used can be found here. 

Under certain circumstances (e.g. if provided by mandatory law), you may be requested to consent to the use of cookies for information collection purposes and/or offered the possibility to oppose to the future use of these. Further information is provided here. You are aware that, when opposing to the use of cookies or similar technologies, METTLER TOLEDO may not be able to provide you with a personalized experience at the Site if METTLER TOLEDO cannot identify you, and /or you may not be able to take advantage of some of the Site’s features or contents..

Information we may receive includes:

• Technical information, including the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet, your login information, browser type and version, time zone setting, geo-location, browser plug-in types and versions, or operating system and platform.
• Non-personal details about your Site interactions on the Site or MT Online Channels, including the full Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), clickstream to, through, and from the Site (including date and time), products you viewed or searched for, page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), and methods used to browse away from the page.

The Site and certain emails may contain web beacons (small transparent embedded images or objects, also known as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs), that send back information from the email recipient like an 'Open' or 'Click', that permit us, for example, to count website page visitors or email readers, to identify possible user interests, or to compile other similar statistics such as recording Site content popularity, or verifying system and server integrity. 

(iii) Information Obtained From Business Partners

METTLER TOLEDO works closely with other businesses, including business partners such as distributors, suppliers, and service providers in order to offer products and services on a global scale ("Business Partners"). In some cases, these Business Partners may offer products and services to you, via the Site or otherwise. In other cases, METTLER TOLEDO provides services or sells products jointly with its Business Partners. METTLER TOLEDO may receive information from its Business Partners on customers or potential customers and may use or combine information for the purposes set forth below, and, if so agreed with the Business Partner, for co-marketing activities or for sending promotional offers or direct marketing on behalf of such Business Partner.

(iv) Information Obtained From Third Parties Or Publicly Available Sources

We may receive information about you from publicly and commercially available sources, such as public databases, social media platforms (including from people with whom you are friends or otherwise connected), and other third parties including, for example, Business Partners (as indicated below), sub-contractors in technical, payment, and delivery services, advertising networks, analytics providers, search information providers, credit reference agencies, data brokers, or aggregators. 

2. How Do We Use Your Information?

(i) For What Purposes Do We Use Your Information?

METTLER TOLEDO may use the information collected about you for the following purposes: 

• to process, evaluate and respond to your inquiries or requests;
  
• to initiate, perform, and manage contractual relationships, e.g. by accepting and processing orders, performing transactions, processing payments, accounting, auditing and billing, arranging shipments and deliveries, and providing repairs and support services;
• to provide and sell, directly or indirectly via partners, products and services to end customers; to support, via various supporting services, e.g. direct shipment, marketing support and other supporting services, the commercial activities of our partners;
• to communicate with you about products, services, events, surveys, and promotions, e.g. by notifying you about changes in our services or by sending you marketing communications;
• to provide persons we interacted with in the context of the sale of a product or service with information and direct marketing materials about similar goods and services we offer; 
• to create, administer and communicate with you about and in the framework of your account (including purchases, payment, document management, information, including marketing communications in line with your preferences);
• to improve, enhance, or expand the products, services and MT Online Channels offered by METTLER TOLEDO (for example, to provide better information, products, and special offers);
• to ensure that content from our Site and MT Online Channels is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer or other device used to access our Site; 
• to tailor the content that we display to you; to personalize and continually improve the Site and MT Online Channels and the services it provides to you;
• to make suggestions and recommendations to you and other users of our Site about goods or services that are of interest to you or them; 
• to allow you to participate in interactive features of our service, when you choose to do so; 
• for system administration and to report aggregated statistical information about browsing patterns and actions which does not identify any individual; 
• to administer our Site and for internal operations, including product development, troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research, statistical, and survey purposes, including to determine and manage the effectiveness of our advertising and marketing; 
• to verify your identity to ensure security for the other purposes listed here;
• to maintain and protect the security of our products, services, and MT Online Channels, to prevent and detect security threats, fraud, or other criminal or malicious activities;
• to ensure compliance with our legal obligations (such as record keeping as required by country specific regulations) and due diligence (to prevent white-collar or money laundering crimes), and METTLER TOLEDO policies or industry standards; 
• to carry out contract enforcement, dispute resolutions, and to initiate or protect against legal claims; and/or
• to fulfill the purpose for which you provided the data or that we disclosed when you provided the data.

We may use non-personal data for any business purpose.

(ii) We May Combine Information

We may combine information received from various sources. We may use this information and the combined information for the purposes set out above. E.g. we may:

• obtain information about you from other sources and add this information to your account information. 
• compare our customer list to lists received from other companies and use such lists to supplement our own information. 
• obtain updated delivery and address information from shippers or other sources so that we can correct our records and deliver purchases and communications more easily. 
• receive information or reports from third parties that provide information obtained from or about existing or potential clients, customers, partners, or users of the Site.

If we combine or connect non-personal or technical data with personal data so that it directly or indirectly identifies an individual, we treat the combined information as personal data.

(iii) Automated Processing

We use automated processing (profiling) to present you with the content that might be more relevant for you, in your language and your region of the world. 

In order to do so, we process the following information: 

• Profiling on company/site characteristics: country, postal address, industry, application, product, company name, number of employees (all to predict potential interest)
  
• Profiling on contact level: country & language (ensure we send material that is understandable); job/title workplace and job title hierarchy (to help predict personal preferences); application/product (to help ensure to send relevant material); website visit, email opens/clicks, and survey submits (to help predict level of interest).

(iv) Automated Decision Making 

We do not use any data for automated decision making.

3. With Whom Do We Share Your Information?

(i) Disclosure Of Information Within The METTLER TOLEDO Group

METTLER TOLEDO may share personal data with other affiliates within the METTLER TOLEDO Group, if and to the extent necessary for the purposes mentioned above.

(ii) Disclosure Of Information To Business Partners

METTLER TOLEDO may share information with its Business Partners as necessary to offer products or services, respond to requests, provide customer services, and communicate about our products and services. 

In addition, METTLER TOLEDO may provide Business Partners and/or third parties with aggregate statistics and non-identifying information about its contacts and/or users of the Site and of other MT Online Channels, trends, transactions, or other activities. 

(iii) Disclosure Of Information To Third Party Service Providers

We may share certain information with third party service providers we engage to perform services for us or on our behalf, such as IT maintenance and support services (including ticketing), payment processing, marketing assistance, data analysis and data cleansing services, telemarketing services, order fulfillment, postal, mailing and package delivery services, logistics, delivery of customer services, etc. These service providers are contractually bound to act in compliance with applicable laws and restricted from using or disclosing information, except as necessary to perform the services or comply with legal requirements.

(iv) Disclosure Of Information In The Course Of Business Transfers

As METTLER TOLEDO continues to develop its business, the Site and MT Online Channels, it is possible that METTLER TOLEDO may sell or buy other companies or assets. In such transactions, customer information generally is one of the transferred business assets. As such, customer information may be disclosed. In addition, in the event another company or individual acquires substantially all of METTLER TOLEDO’s assets, your information would be an asset transferred to such acquiring company or individual, making disclosure necessary.

(v) Disclosure Of Information To Protect The Company And Others

METTLER TOLEDO may exchange information with other companies and organizations to protect against fraud and reduce credit risks. In addition, METTLER TOLEDO may release account and other personal information when it reasonably believes that the release of such information is necessary to: (a) comply with the law, (b) enforce or apply the Site Terms and Conditions or other agreements, (c) protect the rights, property, or safety of METTLER TOLEDO and its affiliates, or (d) protect the rights, property, or safety of the owner of such data and/or others.

To the extent permitted by law, METTLER TOLEDO may transfer personal data to courts, law enforcement, regulatory authorities, or attorneys to comply with legal obligations or in respect to the exercise or defense of legal claims.

(vi) Control And Transfer Of Information

The services on the Site are operated and controlled by us from Switzerland. 

Our local sales organizations control the information of customers and other known contacts in their country. Your information may be processed and stored in any country where we have facilities or in which we engage service providers as described above. 

If you are located in the European Economic Area ("EEA"), some of the non-EEA countries are recognized as providing an adequate level of protection according to the EEA standards (for more information see here). With regards to transfers to other countries, we established adequate processes to ensure compliance with EU data protection standards and protect your information such as applying Standard Contractual Clauses adopted by the European Commission (for more information see here) or with Binding Corporate Rules.  

(vii) Other Sites/Links

The Site and our Online Channels may contain links to other websites that we do not control or maintain. METTLER TOLEDO is not responsible for the contents or privacy practices employed by such other websites. We recommend that you read the privacy statements of all third party websites before submitting any personally identifiable information through these websites.

(viii) Third Party Advertising

We may use third party advertising companies to serve advertisements regarding products and services that may be of interest to you when you access and use the services and other websites or online services, based on information relating to your access to and use of the services and other websites or online services on any of your devices, as well as on information received from third parties.

Other companies that advertise on or link to the Site, or whose functionality we use on the Site, may use cookies or collect other information about you when you go to our Site. METTLER TOLEDO does not control the collection or use of information by these companies. A detailed description of the cookies used by such third parties and the purposes for which they are used can be found here.

(ix) Non-Personal Data

We may share non-personal data without restriction.

4. How Do We Keep Your Information Secure?  

We take data security seriously. We have implemented reasonable and appropriate technical and operational security measures to protect against the loss, misuse, alteration, or destruction of the information under our control. 

Only authorized personnel of METTLER TOLEDO and of our third party service providers are provided access to personal data and such access is granted only to persons who need to have it to perform their tasks. These employees and third party service providers are bound by confidentiality obligations. Our website protocol is secured (https) and personal data transfers are secured with 128-bit SSL encryption.

METTLER TOLEDO will protect credit card and/or other account information when confirming purchase orders. METTLER TOLEDO may, however, transmit the entire credit card and/or account number to the appropriate credit card company or financial institution in order to process the order.

It is important for you to protect against unauthorized access to your passwords and computer. You should be sure to sign off when you are finished using a shared computer.

Unfortunately, no data transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. METTLER TOLEDO cannot guarantee that personal information will be protected against unauthorized access or misuse and METTLER TOLEDO does not accept any liability for the improper actions of unauthorized third parties.

5. For How Long Do We Keep Your Information?

METTLER TOLEDO will retain your personal information for as long as necessary or permitted in the light of the purpose(s) for which it was obtained. The criteria to determine our retention periods include (i) for as long as we have an ongoing relationship with you (e.g. delivery of products or services, an online account, receiving our newsletters), (ii) for as long as we have (potential) obligations towards you, or you towards us; (iii) as required by legal obligations we are subject to (e.g. accounting, tax, and other regulations); (iv) as advisable in the light of our legal position (e.g. in regard of applicable statutes of limitations, litigation, regulatory investigations, etc.); (v) as appropriate to fulfill our business needs or protect our business interests; or (vi) as otherwise stated to you when your personal information is collected.

6. Information, Correction And Deletion / Contact Us

To the extent provided by applicable data protection laws, you may have the right to (i) request access to certain personal data we hold about you and correct or update it; (ii) obtain a copy of the personal data you provided to us or request us to transmit such data to another recipient; (iii) restrict or object to the automated processing of your personal data or of other processing of your personal data on legitimate grounds relating to your particular situation, or demand that your personal data be deleted, if it is no longer relevant or justifiable that we keep it; or (iv) withdraw your consent at any time if you have granted us explicit consent to process your personal data for a particular purpose.  

If you have a My MT.com MT account, you may access, correct or delete your account information in your account.

If you have no account and would like to make a request to access, review, or correct the personal data we hold about you, please fill out the online form here. You may opt out from direct marketing emails by clicking the "unsubscribe" link included in all our marketing emails. You may also anytime free of charge request to opt-out from direct marketing communications or exercise any other data subject right available to you under the applicable data protection laws, by contacting us.

Should you have questions or concerns relating to this Site or the use of your personal information hereunder, please contact webmaster@mt.com. Several local METTLER TOLEDO companies have appointed a local data protection officer. More information is provided here. Depending on your location, you may have the right to file a complaint with a competent data protection supervisory authority if you are not satisfied with our response.    

7. You Can Choose Not To Provide Information, Or To Provide Information Anonymously Or Using A Pseudonym

You may choose not to provide information to METTLER TOLEDO, though that might prevent you from making a purchase or taking advantage of some features of the Site or our Online Channels. Also, you may choose to provide information to METTLER TOLEDO anonymously or using a pseudonym, provided it is lawful and practicable to do so. METTLER TOLEDO will try to accommodate a request for anonymity if possible. However METTLER TOLEDO may not be able to provide you with a personalized service if METTLER TOLEDO cannot identify you.

You can add or update certain account information as described in Section 6 above. When you update information, METTLER TOLEDO may keep for its records a copy of the prior version(s) of your account information for verification purposes.

8. The Site And MT Online Channels Are Not Intended For Children.

The Site, MT Online Channels, and the products, services, and information presented there are not intended for children. If you are under the age of 16, you should not use the Site and the MT Online Channels. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under the age of 13.

9. Updates To This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy and the Terms and Conditions may be updated periodically to reflect changes in our (online) information practices. METTLER TOLEDO's use of information is subject to the Privacy Policy in effect at the time of use. You are advised check the Site frequently to see recent changes. 

10. There Are Special Provisions Governing Individuals Or Organizations In Australia.

In the course of its business activities, METTLER TOLEDO will collect, hold, use, and disclose personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and its obligations under the Australian Privacy Principles (APP) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). 

If you reside in Australia, you acknowledge and agree that METTLER TOLEDO may collect, use, disclose, and transfer your personal data as described in this Privacy Policy and amendments hereto. You further acknowledge and expressly agree that METTLER TOLEDO may disclose your personal information to an overseas third party such as overseas facilities or contractors to process or back-up information or to provide other services. METTLER TOLEDO may also store your personal information on servers based overseas.

Before disclosing your personal information to an overseas third party, METTLER TOLEDO will first take reasonable steps to ensure that the overseas recipient of the personal information:

1. does not breach the APPs in relation to your personal information; or
2. is subject to a law, or binding scheme, that has the effect of protecting your personal information in a way that is substantially similar to the way in which the APPs protect the information.

Version July 2020