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.

We, as the Fresenius Group, value a diverse, inclusive, and equitable working environment which we aim to build and preserve. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is discussed and embraced in our Group and its entities; however, we recognize there are situations for which a Group approach is not the right approach. Our aspiration is to strive for equity and inclusion, embracing both diversity and belonging as concepts which encompass unique situations and individuals. With this approach, we provide a framework which enables our employees to integrate into a workplace for which we aim to reduce barriers and unconscious bias and that supports them to follow their individual professional ambitions.

At Fresenius we support equal opportunities for all and consciously oppose discrimination of all kinds. No one may be discriminated against on the basis of skin color, ancestry, faith, political views, age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, cultural background, sexual orientation, physical condition, social background, appearance, or other personal characteristics. This extends equally to employees, business partners, and patients. We work in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Our dealings with each other are open, fair, and appreciative. We do not ­tolerate insults, humiliation, or harassment in our daily work, neither internally nor externally. Our managers have a ­special responsibility in this respect and act as role models. 

These values and our aspirations with regard to diversity are laid down in the Fresenius Code of Conduct, which is binding for all employees. This Code makes our stance clear, i. e., to support equal opportunities for all. This lays the foundation of our cooperation and corporate culture.

How we handle discrimination incidents

Information about violations of the principles of the Fresenius Code of Conduct and other possible misconduct can be reported via various notification systems, e.g., online and in various languages – anonymously, if necessary. All information is carefully examined and appropriate action taken in accordance with the results of the investigation. Depending on the type and severity of misconduct, sanctions such as actions under employment, civil, or criminal law can be imposed. After finishing the investigation, measures that prevent future misconduct, or at least make it more difficult, are implemented.

Living diversity in the business segments

Fresenius promotes international and interdisciplinary cooperation as well as diversity and inclusion throughout the Group. The diversity of our markets and locations is also reflected in the workforce of the four business segments. In our home market in Germany, we have employees of more than 140 nationalities. All business segments attach great importance to equal opportunities for all employees in the workplace as well as in the application, selection, and development procedures. In order to integrate equal opportunities into all processes and workflows and to overcome barriers or unconscious bias, the business segments develop diversity concepts that are adapted to the requirements of their respective business models and regions.

Diversity at Fresenius

Our employees are as diverse as the work we do. We’re convinced that combining different perspectives, opinions, experiences, cultures and values enables us to harness the potential that will make our company even more successful. Diversity takes many forms, and in this video you can hear some Fresenius employees talk about what diversity means to them.

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.

Fresenius Vamed delivers projects and services to hospitals and other healthcare facilities internationally and is a leading post-acute provider in Central Europe. The value chain of Fresenius Vamed encompasses the full life cycle of a healthcare facility. This high level of internal service integration and expertise enables us to offer access to healthcare globally at all levels of care.

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 not harm the health of our patients and employees, 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. Moreover, we will further intensify our management of emissions stemming from the upstream and downstream supply chain (Scope 3), eventually to be included in the climate target.

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.

 

The commitment of our more than 190,000 employees worldwide forms the basis of our success. Their achievements, skills, and dedication help our business segments to hold leading positions in their respective markets. We want to continue attracting, retaining, and integrating talent at Fresenius. To this end, we need to consolidate and build on our position as an attractive employer in a market environment characterized by a shortage of personnel. Employee-friendly working conditions, attractive benefits, and a dialog-oriented corporate culture all help us to achieve this. 

As a global company, we create various incentives for our employees depending on the country and location. These include flexible working time models among others. We pay attention to diversity and promote international and interdisciplinary cooperation. We aim to comply with internationally recognized labor and social standards in all aspects of our operations. This is set out as mandatory in our Code of Conduct and our Human Rights Statement.

Employee development

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 - depending on their own customer and market structures. We constantly adapt our approaches to current trends and requirements.

In ­addition to Group-wide mandatory training courses on the respective Codes of Conduct and on integrity, there are mandatory training courses on environmental management, and occupational health and safety in the business segments, and, where appropriate, quality management.

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 individual further training offerings for employees and managers.

Occupational 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 numerous 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.

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

The Fresenius Code of Conduct states that we must take the necessary measures to protect our employees and to prevent work-related accidents. All business segments focus on preventive measures and promote employees’ responsible conduct when it comes to occupational health and safety. 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 participation and exchange with employee representatives

Trust and cooperation between management, employees, and employee representatives is well established at Fresenius and is an integral part of our corporate culture. 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.

Employees liaise with their supervisors, but they can also turn to their HR or compliance officers, as well as to the works council, their union representatives, or other employee representatives for assistance. In Europe, about 84% of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. On a global basis, about 74% of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements.

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).

Hygiene management in rehabilitation and care

Protecting patients from infectious diseases during their stay in rehabilitation clinics and care facilities is a key objective for Fresenius Vamed. Newly established healthcare facilities follow systematic guidelines from day one to prevent infections breaking out or spreading. Clearly defined procedures are followed and compliance with hygiene regulations is strictly controlled.

In Germany, Fresenius Vamed's hygiene standards are based on the recommendations of the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (KRINKO) of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). These recommendations take into account all legal requirements for hygiene.