Systems and Procedures for Reporting Misconduct
We place great importance on open communication and strive to create an environment in which all individuals can openly raise concerns about potential human rights violations. This includes employees (including those of suppliers and service providers), suppliers, customers, patients, residents living near our sites, or other parties concerned and their representatives.Concerns regarding potential human rights violations can be raised without fear of discrimination, disadvantages, or retaliation. To support this, we have established appropriate systems and procedures for reporting misconduct.
Process for handling and investigating reports
The following graphic illustrates the steps for processing reports, starting from the acknowledgment of receipt to the feedback provided to the reporter, using the example of two fictional protagonists: Kate and Aditi.
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1 – Confirmation of receipt
Kate reports a suspicion of possible misconduct through the grievance mechanism. Aditi, a specially trained member of our Business Integrity Team, receives the report and confirms its receipt.
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2 – Pre-assessment
Aditi carefully reviews the report for plausibility and completeness. She contacts Kate to obtain additional information.
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3 – Preparation
Following the initial assessment, Aditi determines that the report contains indications of a potential compliance incident related to human rights. She then defines the objective and scope of the investigation and formally issues the mandate to proceed. Subsequently, she hands over the case to the responsible investigation team to clarify the incident.
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4 – Investigation
The investigation team analyzes the facts and evaluates the underlying processes to identify potential weaknesses. It ensures that the investigation is conducted confidentially, fairly, objectively, and proportionately. All collected information, as well as the insights derived from it, are carefully documented and summarized by the investigation team.
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5 – Remediation
Based on the results of the investigation, the responsible department decides which activities need to be taken to prevent similar violations in the future. These may include personnel measures as well as the introduction of process adjustments. The department responsible ensures that all corrective actions are appropriate and monitors their timely implementation. The investigation team, led by Aditi, documents this process.
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6 – Feedback to the reporter
Once the investigation is concluded, Kate receives feedback on the status of the investigation and the actions taken – naturally, in compliance with confidentiality and data protection requirements.
Additional information on our grievance mechanisms and the protection of reporters can be found in the process descriptions of the respective operating companies:
Fresenius SE:
https://secure.ethicspoint.eu/domain/media/en/gui/110768/index.html
Fresenius Kabi:
https://secure.ethicspoint.eu/domain/media/en/gui/37581/index.html
Fresenius Helios:
https://secure.ethicspoint.eu/domain/media/en/gui/113025/index.html
Quirónsalud:
https://www.quironsalud.com/en/group/whistleblowing-channel
Help us do the right thing!
Have you noticed something that does not seem right? Or have you been affected yourself? Then speak up. Our video explains how to submit a report, why reporting concerns matters, and what happens after a report is received.
Reports received with human rights relevance in the reporting year 2025
The metrics describe the reports received through our reporting systems in the reporting year that were related to human rights – broken down into those affected in our own operations and those in our value chain. Of the 24 (2024: 28) reports received, 1 (2024: 4) proved to be a human rights violation. No report was related to a severe human rights incident in the upstream or downstream value chain or in Fresenius’ own operations.
| Own operations | Value chain | |
|---|---|---|
Reports received with human rights relevance | 23 | 1 |
Of which are violations | 1 | - |
Of which are severe human rights violations | - | - |
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1Severe human rights violation include incidents of forced labor, incidents of human trafficking, incidents of child labor as well incidents involving a large number of people or affecting a large area. This categorization is based, for example, on the definitions of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
Our Sustainability Statement 2025 contains detailed information on the substantiated cases and the remedial and preventive activities implemented in the chapters “Own workforce” and “Workers in the value chain”.
Consideration of the interests of affected stakeholders
At Fresenius, we place great importance on appropriately considering the perspectives of reporters and potentially affected stakeholders. All reports are reviewed transparently, fairly, and carefully by specially trained personnel. Our aim is to ensure that concerns are taken seriously and addressed in line with applicable legal and internal requirements. We consider all relevant information and perspectives to support balanced and appropriate decisions. We also use feedback from affected stakeholders to assess the acceptance and effectiveness of our process and to continuously improve our procedures.
Review and further development of our systems and procedures
The results of our risk analysis and the findings on potential target groups of our systems and procedures for reporting misconduct are incorporated into the further development of our grievance mechanism and the processing of respective reports. Based on our findings, we review the effectiveness of the procedure on an annual basis, or more frequently if required. Where necessary, we make appropriate adjustments.
Human Rights at Fresenius
Our Human Rights ProgramContact
Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA
Else-Kröner-Str. 1
61352 Bad Homburg
Germany
humanrights@fresenius.com
Human Rights Program
Our Human Rights Program Group-wide Governance & Responsibilities Risk Assessment & Impacts Prevention & RemediationYou want to file a report?
Reports on possible human rights violations or other types of compliance violations can be reported around the clock, either anonymously or by name, via our systems and procedures for reporting misconduct*:
Whistleblower system
https://secure.ethicspoint.eu/domain/media/en/gui/110768/index.html
By telephone*
+49 (0) 800 181 1338
By mail
Fresenius SE & Co. KGgaA Business Integrity
Else-Kröner-Str. 1
61352 Bad Homburg v.d.H. Deutschland
By e-mail:
humanrights@fresenius.com
* The prices of your mobile or landline contract apply.
The reporting on the respect for human rights for the year 2024 and following can be found in our Sustainability Report (CSRD Report). Further information on Fresenius' human rights program is available here: fresenius.com/en/human-rights