Privacy Policy

Last updated: 01.12.2025

The Foundation for the Elimination of Child Labour in Tobacco Growing (ECLT) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. We make every efforts to process personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. The purpose of this privacy policy is to help you better understand how we collect, use, and safeguard the information you provide when using our website and related online services.

In this Policy, “we”, “our”, and “us” refer to ECLT.
“You” and “your” refer to any individual visiting our website or using our online services.

Data Controller

The data controller, within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws – in particular the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP) and its Ordinance, as well as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – is:

Foundation for the Elimination of Child Labour in Tobacco Growing (ECLT)
Rue François-Versonnex 7 1207 Geneva, Switzerland
Telephone: +41 22 306 14 44
Email: eclt@eclt.org

THE TYPE OF PERSONAL DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU

Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified.

We may process (e.g., collect, use and store) different kinds of data about you. This includes personal details such as your name, postal address, email address, and telephone number, which you voluntarily provide through forms on our website (e.g., contact requests, newsletter sign-ups, or service inquiries).

HOW WE USE AND RETAIN YOUR PERSONAL DATA 

Your personal data are processed only for the purposes stated above and retained for as long as necessary to fulfil those purposes or as required by law. Once these purposes have been achieved, your data are either deleted or anonymised.

If we are required to retain certain information for longer due to legal or regulatory obligations, access to such data will be restricted accordingly.

PURPOSE FOR WHICH WE WILL USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA 

We have set out below a description of all the ways we plan to use your personal data, and which of the legal bases we rely on to do so. 

Your personal data is processed when necessary and for specific, legitimate purposes. These include: 

(i)    access and use of our website and services; 
(ii)    responding to your information requests; 
(iii)    communicating about our activities, news, and initiatives; and 
(iv)    processing transactions and service requests, where applicable.

Lawful basis for processing

We may process your personal data for more than one lawful basis depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data. Please contact us if you want any more information on the legal bases we use to process your personal data.

•    Your consent, when you actively provide information or agree to receive communications;
•    The performance of a contract or steps taken at your request prior to entering a contract;
•    Our legitimate interests in ensuring the proper functioning and security of our website, improving our services, and communicating with you about our mission;
•    Compliance with legal obligations, where applicable.

Cookies and usage data

To improve the functionality and performance of our website, we may collect technical data such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, and interaction patterns. This may involve the use of cookies or similar technologies.

Non-essential cookies are used only with your prior consent, which you can withdraw at any time through your browser settings or our cookie banner.

External links and social media

Our website may include links to third party websites, plug-ins and applications, including our pages on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share your data. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements or practices. When you leave our website, you are subject to the privacy policies of the respective providers. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit. 

Data sharing and recipients

Access to your personal data is strictly limited to authorised ECLT staff members and trusted service providers who need the data to perform specific tasks on our behalf, such as:

•    Website hosting and maintenance;
•    Data storage and email delivery;
•    IT security and auditing;
•    Payment or event processing.

These providers act as data processors and are contractually bound to comply with applicable data protection standards.

ECLT does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may, however, disclose data when required by law or in the context of a merger, reorganisation, or other legitimate business process.

Data security

ECLT takes appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of personal data. Our infrastructure is hosted on ISO 27001-certified servers located in Switzerland, and our teams are trained in data protection best practices.

Security principles include:

•    Secure collection and encrypted storage of data;
•    Access control and authentication procedures;
•    Regular staff training and audits;
•    Continuous monitoring for vulnerabilities.

Website Security (SSL/TLS Encryption)

Our website uses SSL/TLS encryption to secure the transmission of data you send us (for example, via online forms). You can identify an encrypted connection when the web address begins with https:// and a padlock icon appears in your browser bar. Despite these measures, please note that transmission of data over the internet may still present security risks.

Your legal rights

Under the applicable laws, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

•    The right to request access to your personal data.
•    The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
•    The right to request erasure (“right to be forgotten”) of your data in certain circumstances.
•    The right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.
•    The right to object – to restrict or oppose - processing on legitimate grounds.
•    The right to data portability – to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.

In order to exercise any of these rights, please reach out to us using the contact information below. 

Legal remedies

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe that your personal data are being processed in breach of applicable law.

In Switzerland, the supervisory authority is the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC). For individuals in the EU/EEA, you may contact your local data protection authority.

Anti-spam policy

If you subscribe to electronic newsletters or other communications from us or our website, you will always have an option to unsubscribe immediately.

Policy Changes

We keep this privacy policy under regular review, so we may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The most recent version will always be available on our website and will indicate the date of last revision.

Contact information

To ask questions or comment about our Privacy Policy and privacy practices, please contact us at:

Foundation for the Elimination of Child Labour in Tobacco Growing (ECLT)
Rue François-Versonnex 7 1207 Geneva, Switzerland
Telephone: +41 22 306 14 44
Email: eclt@eclt.org