Our commitment

For Fresenius Medical Care, sustainability means acting responsibly to achieve business success as well as environmental and social progress to secure our future as a globally operating company in the health care industry. Responsible conduct in compliance with our core values and applicable legal requirements is a key element of our corporate culture. Our business activities are based on responsible management with a focus on integrity, sound corporate governance and adherence to compliance principles.

Fresenius Medical Care informs its stakeholders in a separate Non-Financial Group Report about its commitment to sustainability and shows how we translate our global responsibility into action.

It incorporates disclosures relating to the following six key aspects:

1. Responsibility for patients
2. Responsibility for employees
3. Our approach to anti-bribery and anti-corruption
4. Responsibility to respect human rights
5. Responsibility for the environment
6. Relationship with suppliers

We report non-financial information in reference to internationally applicable best-practice standards for sustainability reporting set out by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Our report includes a materiality analysis as specified in GRI Disclosure 102 - 46, as well as a description of the Code of Ethics and Business Conduct referenced in GRI Disclosure 103.

As a global healthcare company, we continuously work to save lives, promote health and improve the quality of life of our patients. With our products and services, we improve access to good and affordable health care in many countries. To us, human rights and labor and employment standards are an integral part of our corporate responsibility.

To fulfill its responsibility as a health care company, Fresenius Medical Care is committed to respecting the principles outlined in this statement and to complying with the laws of the countries in which it does business. This statement is unique to Fresenius Medical Care. However, in its development, we considered for purposes of guidance, the principles described in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Labor Organization’s 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. This statement complements our commitment and our principles toward respecting human rights, as addressed in our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.

Our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct constitutes a binding framework that governs how Fresenius Medical Care employees interact with patients, colleagues, suppliers and society. The Code defines practices beyond legal requirements. It covers material non-financial topics that are relevant for Fresenius Medical Care ranging from patient care, quality and innovation, anti-corruption and bribery to worker protection, the environment and health and safety. The Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and our underlying values also include Fresenius Medical Care’s commitment to respecting material human rights topics such as working conditions, non-discrimination and grievance mechanisms. It applies to every function and division worldwide, to all of the Company’s employees as well as to the operations of all direct and indirect subsidiaries that are majority-owned or controlled in some other way by us. Our employees are obliged to adhere to the principles in the Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.

Compliance with the Code of Ethics and Business Conduct is essential for Fresenius Medical Care’s long-term success as it dictates the corporate culture and is an integral part of day-to-day work. Specialized functions at a global, regional and local level are responsible for implementing and communicating these principles within the organization. Training programs on the Code of Ethics and Business Conduct are designed to increase awareness of the applicable rules and help employees to understand them better and comply with them. The training programs are held regularly and are mandatory for all relevant employees. Standardized processes are in place to allow employees to attend the programs.

To identify and prioritize the topics that have the biggest impact on the economy, society and environment and that matter most to our business, we conduct a formal materiality analysis on a regular basis.

In 2019, we evolved a materiality process to connect the impact of our business practices on economic, social and environmental issues with those that have the highest business relevance for Fresenius Medical Care. Conducting a thorough materiality analysis in this way helps us identify topics that our stakeholders at internal and external level want to see us focus on and cover in our reporting.

Our broad 2019 materiality analysis included a 5-step process.

1. In a first step we created a comprehensive list of potential material topics based on a competitor benchmark, our corporate risk management reporting, ESG ratings and rankings such as DJSI, CDP and MSCI, best-practice guidelines including GRI or the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) as well as an ongoing trend and media analysis.

2. To prioritize the sustainability topics according to their business relevance, we conducted an online survey in step 2, asking all regions and functions to assess the importance of the individual topics for Fresenius Medical Care.

3. To gather an internal viewpoint on our contribution to sustainable development we used the comprehensive and internally accepted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a proxy to help us understand how our business activities impact non-financial aspects.

4. As part of step 4, we sought stakeholder feedback and identified external stakeholders to review the results and make sure that the materiality analysis process and the results derived therefrom are sound.

5. In the last step, we involved senior management and asked them to test the results of our materiality analysis and validate the outcome.

In response to the economic, social and environmental challenges that our planet faces, the United Nations defined 17 goals for a sustainable development. The so-called Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a worldwide agenda to reduce hunger and poverty, improve health, enable equal opportunities and protect the planet. We too expressly support the comprehensive approach of the SDGs. In line with our corporate purpose “Creating a future worth living. For patients. Worldwide. Every day.”, we support in particular SDG 3, which focuses on good health and well-being. In addition, we seek to make a responsible contribution to further SDGs.