Our Responsibility

We are committed to being a socially and environmentally responsible corporate player in the global healthcare market. We have the ambition to shape future healthcare and build a sound base for sustainable growth.

As a healthcare Group with more than 300,000 employees, Fresenius plays an important role in society. For more than 100 years, our mission has been to preserve life, promote health and improve patients' quality of life.

For Fresenius, economic success is not an end in itself, but a means of continuously investing in medical progress. The patient's well-being always comes first. It is our point of reference for all business decisions. The common goal of all business segments is to improve healthcare quality and efficiency. We aim to provide innovative solutions and work proactively to enable a growing number of people to have access to high-quality, affordable medicine. In conclusion, it is our goal to contribute to medical progress.

In our Code of Conduct, we commit to integrity in dealing with our business associates as well as to socially responsible behavior and transparent communication. The Fresenius Code of Conduct defines basic principles that apply to all employees, executives and the management of the Fresenius Group. It also sets out the framework for the relevant regulations of the individual business segments, and defines our respective activity areas. Further information can be found in the section Compliance and integrity.

• We take responsibility for our patients' well-being and are committed to the highest quality in our products, treatments and services.

• We want to do the right thing and comply with all applicable rules and laws. In addition to legal requirements, we adhere to high ethical standards and rules of good corporate governance.

• We largely owe our success and growth to the commitment of our more than 300,000 employees worldwide. Our aim is therefore to be perceived as an attractive employer to acquire talent, retain employees and allow them to develop their skills further in the long term.

• We think and act long-term in our business decisions. It therefore goes without saying that we protect nature as the basis of life and treat resources with care.

• We are committed to respecting human rights as defined by international standards, such as the Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations.

Our value chain

Fresenius has an international distribution network and operates more than 90 production facilities. The largest of these are located in the United States, in China, Japan, Germany, and Sweden. In the Fresenius Group, all purchasing processes are controlled by central coordination points in the business segments. Competence teams bundle the needs, conclude framework contracts, and continuously monitor current market and price trends. In addition, they coordinate global procurement for individual production sites or clinics and initiate quality and safety controls for raw materials and procurement goods (see Supply chain). Supply reliability and quality of care play an important role in an environment characterized by ongoing cost-saving efforts by healthcare providers and by price pressure in the markets. We therefore constantly optimize our purchasing processes, standardize procurement materials, identify new sources of supply, and negotiate the best possible price deals. Maintaining high flexibility while at the same time meeting our strict quality and safety standards is crucial. A broad portfolio of suppliers reduces potential procurement or raw material shortages in both the product and service business (see Procurement management).

Our sustainability organization

Sustainability at Fresenius is the responsibility of the CEO of Fresenius Management SE, as shown in the overview above. Fresenius Management SE is the general partner of Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA. The Group Management Board is regularly informed about sustainability issues by the Investor Relations & Sustainability department of Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA. The Management Board and the Supervisory Board review the progress and the results of the sustainability management, which are then published in the separate Group Non-financial Report. The Supervisory Board is supported in this process by the auditor's limited assurance engagement. The Audit Committee has a special role in reviewing the Group Non-financial Report. The Supervisory Board as a whole is responsible for monitoring the Company’s sustainability performance. 

Investor Relations & Sustainability coordinates the implementation of sustainability guidelines and standards at operational level and is responsible for the non-financial reporting of the Fresenius Group. Business Integrity (formerly Corporate Compliance) is responsible for our Code of Conduct and manages issues relating to human rights, supply chain, and compliance. Data protection and Cybersecurity are independent areas of responsibility. The departments and functions at Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA level support the business segments in the development of guidelines and management concepts relating to these sustainability topics. The business segments have also defined departments and responsible persons – often in the form of sustainability officers who coordinate all sustainability issues within the business segment. Fresenius Medical Care is itself a stock-listed company and has therefore established its own sus­tainability governance structure. Sustainability is also an integral part of the Management Board there. The highest governing body for sustainability activities at Fresenius Medical Care is the Sustainability Decision Board. Headed by the CEO, it is responsible for integrating sustainability into the company’s strategy and business. Together with the Sustainability Decision Board, the Management Board decides on strategic initiatives.

The Group Sustainability Board

The Group Sustainability Board (GSB) is composed of those responsible for sustainability at Group level and in the business segments. The Board discusses the future sustainability strategy of the Fresenius Group. The overall goal of the GSB is to identify the most important sustainability issues for the Group and to strengthen intra-Group cooperation.

 

For more information on this topic see the Sustainability Report.

In addition, our interactive tool allows you to analyze and graph a variety of key figures of the Fresenius Group and the business segments on an annual basis.