Fresenius is a global health care group with products and services for hospital and outpatient care. With over 190.000 employees in more than 100 countries and annual sales of more than 22 billion euros, Fresenius is one of the world´s leading health care companies. Connecting medical devices via the internet to hospital networks, mobile products, and other devices or hospital systems also introduces potential cyber security and patient safety risks that must be addressed.

With our interactive tool you can analyze and graph a variety of key figures of the Fresenius Group and the business segments on an annual basis.

With our interactive tool you can analyze and graph a variety of key figures of the Fresenius Group and the business segments on an annual and quarterly basis.

People's life expectancy is increasing - and the world's population is growing. That is why high-quality medical care is becoming increasingly important. Fresenius is committed to providing access to high-quality and affordable therapies to as many people as possible worldwide. We believe equal opportunity in healthcare is a moral obligation and an economic benefit to society.

Fresenius has subsidiaries in more than 60 countries, maintains an international distribution network and operates more than 50 production sites. Our products are often used to treat people who are suffering from serious or chronic diseases. Our task is to ensure the safety and quality of our products and services and to meet the highest safety and quality standards for all processes and therapies.

Our range of products and services includes the services of a comprehensive network of hospitals, post-acute care solutions - such as rehabilitation - and high-quality drugs and medical products. We also embrace digitalization and develop advanced therapies, and measures designed to expand primary care in emerging and developed countries.

Fresenius Kabi specializes in products for the therapy and care of critically and chronically ill patients. The extensive range of intravenously administered generic drugs and the biosimilars products with a focus on autoimmune diseases and oncology are affordable alternatives to original drugs. Fresenius Kabi thus gives patients access to modern, high-quality and affordable therapies. The product portfolio also includes clinical nutrition and infusion therapies as well as the associated medical devices for application. In the field of transfusion medicine and cell therapy, the company offers products for collection of blood components and extracorporeal therapies.

Fresenius Helios is Europe's leading private healthcare service provider and offers the full range of medical services with its acute care hospitals, outpatient clinics, and other healthcare facilities. Our international hospital network enables Fresenius Helios to transfer knowledge between healthcare systems in Germany, Spain and Latin America with regard to affordable healthcare of high-quality, and with very high standards of service and patient experience.

Healthcare in crisis situations

As a healthcare Group, we have to be crisis-proof in all areas and respond flexibly to unforeseeable challenges: it is our task to enable unrestricted access to our services and seamless care for patients even under difficult conditions. To ensure this, we have established high-performance as well as resilient emergency systems and programs in our business segments.

Corporate social responsibility

The ambition to provide access to healthcare for as many people as possible worldwide and to continuously improve it is pursued by us with our social commitment. The Fresenius Group supports various regional or local initiatives. In the U.S., Fresenius Kabi has a more than 10-year relationship with Americares. The business segment helps the non-profit organization support people impacted by poverty or disaster build better lives through better health. It does this through financial support and in-kind (product) donations for missions in both the U.S. and internationally. 

 

As a healthcare Group, Fresenius feels a responsibility to protect the environment and use natural resources carefully because only a healthy environment can be a home for healthy people. It is important to avoid possible negative effects on the environment and health. To this end, we identify and evaluate potential hazards and take the necessary measures to protect the environment.

Since the requirements in our healthcare products and healthcare services market segments differ, environmental management is decentralized and organized according to the business model of the business segments. The common foundation of our environmental management approaches is the ISO 14001 standard. All business segments have implemented local, regional, or global management systems that take into account the respective business models and adapt processes accordingly.

Water management

For decades, water consumption has been increasing worldwide and water shortages are occurring in more and more regions. We, too, need this resource at our production plants and in our healthcare facilities and want to handle it responsibly. We work with management systems and control systems globally to ensure that water quality meets internal and external regulatory requirements.

It is our ambition that water in any area of our business can be used safely and that it is sufficiently available at all times. We further aim to avoid unnecessarily polluting the sources from which we obtain water or into which we discharge our wastewater.

Climate protection: energy and emissions

Climate change and its effects are also impacting Fresenius: in healthcare facilities, we have to prepare for rising temperatures and the increase in severe weather events in order to continue to protect the health of patients in the best way possible.

Our production processes and the operation of healthcare facilities require a high level of energy input. Energy-efficiency measures can lead to short- and long-term cost savings. In addition, through the increased usage and generation of renewable energies, we also want to make an important contribution to climate protection. At the same time, uninterrupted energy supply is a top priority for Fresenius in order to ensure patient safety and reliable production or care. Within this context, we implement energy-saving measures wherever possible. The energy management system is geared to the requirements of our business models and is certified according to ISO 50001. We aim to expand the number of certified sites.

Overall, in energy management and climate protection, our aim is to go beyond the legal framework to identify ways of minimizing the impact on the climate and the environment and to implement these in our management approaches.

Climate neutral by 2040

We will be climate neutral in our own operations by 2040. This applies both to direct and indirect CO₂ emissions (Scope 1 and 2). Our climate target is in line with the Paris climate agreement’s scientifically based goal to limit global warming to 1.5° C.

We have defined a concrete roadmap to achieve this target: By 2030 we plan to cut our direct and indirect CO₂ emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by half from the 2020 level of about 1.5 million metric tons. Any emissions from organic business growth are included. 

Our long-term goal is to reach net zero by 2050. Hence, we will further intensify our management of emissions stemming from the upstream and downstream supply chain (Scope 3). For an overview of our Scope 3 emissions please refer to our externally audited Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas Report 2023. 

Waste and recycling management

Natural resources are becoming increasingly scarce all over the world. We can only operate sustainably if we use the raw materials available to us efficiently. This also includes the responsible handling of waste – because it contains valuable resources that can be returned to production. Through systematic waste management, we aim to reduce our material consumption and minimize the amount of waste produced.

The handling of waste in the health sector is strictly regulated. Fundamentally, waste must not pose a danger to our patients or the environment, either. Our production processes and treatments in healthcare facilities must be hygienic and sterile at all times. All business segments must always dispose of their waste professionally and safely. With clear internal guidelines, training, and comprehensive controls, we ensure that the respective requirements are complied with.

 

Our success is built on the dedication of our more than 175,000 employees around the world. Their achievements, skills, and dedication help our business segments to hold leading positions in their respective markets. At Fresenius, we want to continue attracting, retaining, and developing talent. To this end, we need to build on our position as an attractive employer in a market environment characterized by a shortage of personnel.

What’s going to help us achieve this is our corporate culture in which every employee is treated equally and given the same opportunities to grow professionally, as well as a modern hybrid working environment, and attractive benefits. In all aspects of our operations, we aim to comply with internationally recognized labor and social standards. This is set out in our Code of Conduct and our Human Rights Statement.

Our Culture

At Fresenius, we promote a culture where every employee is treated equally and given the same opportunities to grow professionally and perform at their best. We recognize that our employees are our greatest asset. And we are convinced that combining different perspectives, opinions, experiences, cultures and values enables us to harness the potential that will make our company even more successful. Therefore, we foster international and interdisciplinary cooperation throughout the Group. 

As a global company, the variety of our markets and locations is reflected in our workforce, which includes employees from more than 150 nationalities. The Group and its operating companies design HR development programs tailored to the requirements of their respective business models and regions. One size does not fit all - we are driven by the ambition to understand and respond to unique situations and individuals.

Our management consciously opposes all forms of discrimination. This commitment extends equally to employees, business partners, and patients. We work in an atmosphere of mutual respect, where our interactions are open, fair, and appreciative. We do not tolerate insults, humiliation, or harassment in our daily work, whether internally or externally. These values are enshrined in the Fresenius Code of Conduct, which is binding for all employees. This Code clearly articulates our stance and lays the foundation for team collaboration and corporate culture.

Employee journey

We offer our employees the opportunity to develop professionally in a dynamic international environment. To this end, we use different concepts and measures for personnel development aligned with their own market structures. We constantly adapt our approaches to current trends and requirements. 

Attracting and retaining outstanding talent is crucial to our success. That's why our HR development measures are rounded off by segment-specific talent management and further individual training offerings for employees and managers.

Health and Safety

As a healthcare Group, we are responsible not only for the well-being of our patients, but also for the health and safety of our employees. We have implemented management systems and measures throughout the Group to prevent employee accidents and work-related illnesses. Creating a safe and healthy working environment is our priority.

Prevention is our guiding principle; this is why we offer our employees comprehensive programs that promote their health and prevent occupational diseases. 

Occupational safety concepts are adapted to the specific business models of each business segment. Our concepts focus on occupational health and safety within production, as well as occupational health management for employees in our healthcare facilities or administration.

Employee engagement and dialog

Trust and cooperation between management, employees, and employee representatives is well established at Fresenius and is an integral part of our corporate culture. We aim to support our employees in their engagement, nourish their ambitions and actively offer development opportunities. In addition, an open and ongoing dialog between management and employee representatives, as well as unions, is important to us. 

In recent years, we have established various dialog formats to strengthen communication between management and employees – both at Group level and in the individual business segments. This allows the Management Board to provide employees with information on important issues personally. In addition, we promote our feedback culture and the constructive exchange of ideas. 

A key tool for measuring the success of our leadership and communication initiatives is the Employee Engagement Index.

Digitalization holds great promise in the areas of automation, big data and artificial intelligence (AI). The MedTech market is shifting towards a focus on connectivity and integration, moving beyond product-centric approaches. The tech paradigm shift is driven by advancements in technologies like AI, Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), and predictive analytics. The rise of new technologies is accompanied by the generation of a vast amount of real-time health data, leading to a paradigm shift in data. Health data combined with advanced analytics are key elements for the implementation of predictive, personalized, preventive, and participative medicine, an approach that will leave a mark onhealth delivery and significantly improve treatment outcomes.

Digital trends

Our markets are changing rapidly. This is particularly true with regard to digital trends in healthcare, which have been further accelerated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are seeing increasing demand for new digital services along the entire value chain. Patients increasingly want to receive remote diagnosis and healthcare services on demand. Data-driven decision-making is increasingly integrated into everyday clinical practice, and the proportion of digital components in medical devices is growing. The associated cybersecurity risks also highlight the need for standardized and resilient IT infrastructures.

Digital processes and applications

We develop devices and applications in various medical fields to support ongoing digitalization, for example, in hospitals. These solutions not only have to be optimized in their core functions, but need to be embedded into the specific IT systems of healthcare facilities. To this end, we will continue to focus on increasing the share of software in medical technology and its application area.

Digital solutions are continuously being developed along the entire value chain to make internal work processes more efficient and simplify them. In various areas, such as compliance, supply chain, purchasing, and production, we are increasingly relying on intelligent automation and AI to improve business processes in administrative functions, e. g., by using chatbots, intelligent document processing, or recommendation and prediction applications. We have already implemented various solutions and identified potential savings that can be successively realized. Since September 2023, a chatbot has been supporting the global IT service desk, through which IT problems can be reported and, in some cases, resolved directly.

Innovation

The Fresenius Group sees innovations as a driver for aligning products and services with the changing needs of patients, for consistently improving them, and for continuously adapting them to the respective market conditions. The aim is to offer patients high-quality, safe, and innovative products on a global basis.

We pursue an integrated approach to innovation: it takes place along our value chain on key topics. Innovation leads to:

• Improved access to healthcare
• Modernization and digitalization in healthcare
• Improving treatment options through research, telemedicine, and artificial intelligence

In this way, we aim to strengthen our position with a focus on innovation in the healthcare sector, recognizing the importance of the services of our employees they provide to society.

We increasingly focus on the opportunities offered by digital solutions. Through innovative, safe, and user-friendly products and systems, we can further improve the quality and efficiency of treatments.

 

The safety of our patients is our priority, and it plays a central role in our management approaches. In our medical services, for example, disruptions in the process flow, such as natural disasters or technical failure, pose a significant risk to patients and the healthcare facilities. In addition, there are also operational risks, for example due to potential hygiene deficiencies.

We counter these risks through structured processes, training, and quality management systems, among other things, and work to continuously improve patient and product safety. Transparent information for the public is also part of our safety and quality commitment.

The application of the highest possible quality and safety standards, the effectiveness of products and service offerings, and adherence to regulatory assessment and compliance requirements are essential prerequisites to support our ambition: to secure long-term corporate success and enable the care of patients. To achieve this, we set ourselves specific targets in the business segments.

We have established sophisticated processes that are geared to the safety of our patients and efficient workflows. In quality management, we focus on monitoring, managing, and improving these processes performance indicators. Each business segment aligns its quality management individually to its business model and sets corresponding priorities.

Our quality management systems meet or are based on various standards. Internationally applicable standards such as ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) are particularly important for our production sites. In our clinics and healthcare facilities, we measure the quality of patient care using various indicators.

Hygiene management in hospitals

Hygiene management focuses on close monitoring of infections and pathogens, regular hygiene training for hospital staff, for example on correct hand disinfection, monitoring antibiotic consumption (available in German only), and training physicians as antibiotic stewardship (ABS) specialists. The implementation of and compliance with hospital hygiene measures in the clinics is accompanied and monitored by our specially trained staff - e. g., hygiene specialist nurses, hospital hygienists, and hygiene officers.

The clinics monitor their hygiene status continuously and transparently: every six months, Helios Germany publishes figures for each clinic on the occurrence of the three most important multi-resistant and infection-relevant pathogens (German language only).