For more than 350 years, responsibility has been an integral part of our corporate identity. It is one of our six company values, alongside courage, achievement, respect, integrity, and transparency. These core values guide us in our daily work, defining how we interact with our customers and business partners. We endeavor to give our best for patients and customers– and find solutions for the world of tomorrow.
Our approach to responsible governance
The requirements we place on responsible governance are derived from our company values and the regulations, external initiatives and international guidelines to which we are committed. We have integrated these requirements in both our Corporate Responsibility strategy (CR strategy) and our Group-wide guidelines. These guidelines comprise charters and principles valid for the entire company, as well as specific standards and procedures for individual business sectors and sites.
Some examples: Our Human Rights Charter aligns with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Our Group-wide Social and Labor Standards Policy reflects the labor standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Our EHS-Policy (Corporate Environment, Health and Safety) forms the basis for implementing the chemical industry’s Responsible Care® Global Charter within our company. Our Regulatory Affairs Governance Policy for chemical products sets out the processes and management structures for product safety.
How we live responsible governance
Based on the requirements set forth in charters, principles and policies, our internal standards give specific guidance for operational processes. These standards are constantly updated by the relevant departments and are available on our intranet. Our managers implement these standards in their respective areas of responsibility and ensure that they are adhered to. In addition, we educate and train our employees on all guidelines that apply to them.
We employ management systems to steer processes as well as define goals, actions and responsibilities. These systems are based on standards such as the internationally recognized quality management standard ISO 9001, good working practices (GxP) in the pharmaceutical industry, and ISO 14001 for environmental management. Our company regularly undergoes ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certification, which is conducted by an independent auditing firm. We hold group certificates for both standards.
We support the following responsible governance initiatives:
- We have been a member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2005 and are committed to complying with its principles. Our annual progress report illustrates how we live our responsibility in our day-to-day actions.
- As a signatory to the chemical industry’s Responsible Care® Global Charter, we voluntarily go above and beyond what is required by law and have adopted mandatory standards for product responsibility, environmental impact mitigation, health, and safety.
- As a member of the Together for Sustainability (TfS) network, we are dedicated to improving the supply chain with respect to environmental, compliance and social standards.
- We are also a member of Initiative Chemie3, a collaboration between the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), the German Employers’ Federation of the Chemical Industry (BAVC), and the German Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IG BCE). The partners of this globally unique alliance seek to make sustainability a core part of the chemical industry’s guiding principles and to jointly drive the sector’s position within the German economy as a key contributor to sustainable development.