we take responsibility sustainability at dräger—quality ... · 30 | we take responsibility |...

We take responsibility Sustainability at Dräger—quality, environment, employees, society

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2 | WE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

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“We think in generations, not in quarters.” Stefan Dräger

WE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY | OVERVIEW4 |

TRENDSETTING DRÄGER PUBLICATIONS

The brandElements of the brand: guiding philosophy, guiding principle, strengths, brand attributes

We take responsibilitySustainability at Dräger—quality, environment, employees, society

Company principlesGuidelines for our entrepreneurial activities

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The Principles of Business and ConductGuidelines on complying with rules and regulation and our ethical standards

6 | WE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY | INTRODUCTION

Dear reader,

Lever Schaden as Schimp—better a loss than a disgrace—is the guiding principle formulated in Low German by the mother of our company founder. It guides the company to this day and aptly sums up Dräger’s sustainability-oriented strategy: we would rather lose money than risk the company’s good reputation and the trust that people place in it. That remains our guid-ing principle and commitment, especially in our dealings with customers, for whom we want to be the first choice.

We all take responsibility every day—for the quality of our products, which protect, support, and save lives. For our environment, so that future generations will be able to live well. For our employees, who we support, and whose safety we ensure, just as we ensure the safety of our customers. And for society, which we want to serve. That sense of responsibility drives our sustainability activities.

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At Dräger, we understand that sustainability is essential to our economic success. Without economic viability there is no sustainability, and we must act responsibly at all our international locations and throughout our supply chain if we want to survive. We are convinced that compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, as well as free and fair competition, must be the basis for all business activity—and that we must fight corruption and protect human rights.

There is a close link between our principles of sustain-able action and many areas of our business. That is why, in this brochure on sustainability, we have brought together our quality and environmental policies, occupa-tional health and safety policies, some of our ethical principles, and our principles on social engagement. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Best regards, Stefan Dräger

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QUALITY

People entrust our products with their most valuable possession: their lives. As a result, they have to be able to trust our products and their quality at all times. That is a responsibility we accept. We must fulfill the highest quality standards in all phases of the product life cycle. From development, production, and delivery to sales and service, our focus is on customer satisfaction. To achieve it, we continually improve our processes. The same is true of all the methods we deploy to empower our employees to do the best possible job. They allow each individual employee to help us keep our quality promise.

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Quality

SAFE PRODUCTS

We are committed to the highest level of safety from the outset. That is why we examine every potential risk relating to a device during the development phase in order to eliminate it at an early stage.

To ensure that our products are safe for users and patients, we use comprehensive safety concepts that are subject to continuous development. In the age of digitalization and networked devices that depend on complex IT structures, that includes protection from cyberattacks. If the safety of our products is compro-mised, we take immediate action to protect our customers and affected patients.

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We pay special attention to ensuring that our products are easy to use and support users in their work. Our partners and customers receive intensive training on the respective device, ensuring its safety throughout the product life cycle.


LONG-LASTING PRODUCTS

Our products are not just safe, but also very long-lasting and robust. They fulfill our customer’s expectations, even under tough conditions and after years of use.

High-quality materials and designs make our products last a long time.

Each of our products is tested under the toughest conditions in our own certified test laboratories, and at selected customers’ facilities around the world. When a Dräger device is created, it is subject to numerous coordinated tests. Along with functional testing, they include testing of materials, simulated use, and electro-magnetic compatibility tests.

Our life cycle tests simulate appropriately extended periods, for example the day-to-day use of a ventilator in hospital.

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The products we make should still work reliably, even after years of intensive use. That is why our services are subject to the same high quality standards as the products themselves.


RELIABLE PROCESSES

Our products don’t just fulfill legal requirements. They do more: in addition to mandatory quality standards and country-specific requirements, we set our own, even more demanding, quality goals that are met by reliable processes, which we are continually improving.

We regularly measure the quality of our processes—for example the timeliness and completeness of deliveries. If the results don’t meet our high standards, then we implement measures for improvement.

Complaints from our customers are handled quickly using efficient processes. Comprehensive analysis allows us to address underlying causes, prevent recurring errors, and thereby constantly improve our products.

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Our responsibility extends to cooperation partners and suppliers. That is why we include them in our quality management system.

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ENVIRONMENT

Technology for Life protects people and the environment. Here at Dräger, environmental protection is not just our duty, but also an opportunity to achieve a competitive advantage, with environmentally friendly products and by conserving resources.

Dräger products and services help our customers worldwide live up to their responsibility for people and the environment, for example by ensuring that pollutants are not released into the environment and by preventing environmentally damaging events. And we also ensure that our day-to-day activities in all areas of the company protect the environment, rather than damaging it. We are constantly working to improve our environmental perfor-mance, above and beyond the legal requirements.

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Environment

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

Our customers expect environmentally friendly products—not just in the use phase, but throughout their life cycle—from the product concept and manufacture to transport and disposal. To achieve that, we have set out design principles for the development process.

Our products are designed to be reliable and long-last-ing, which reduces their impact on the environment.

We are constantly optimizing our products’ resource consumption by using the most environmentally friendly materials possible. Energy saving functions help reduce our customers’ use of electricity.

We use environmentally friendly packaging systems that save resources, such as reusable packaging and packaging made from recycled materials.

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Intelligent delivery concepts and optimized route planning reduce fuel consumption in transport, sales, and service to a minimum.

In many countries we offer our customers high-quality recycling opportunities for used products, and we return recyclable components to the material cycle.


CONSERVING RESOURCES AT THE COMPANY

Dräger recognizes the United Nations’ goals for climate protection. We use resources responsibly and work to systematically reduce our CO2 footprint.

Our aim is to keep our direct and indirect CO2 emissions as low as possible. To achieve that, we periodically record and report on our global CO2 emissions and regularly assess opportunities for further reductions.

In the product manufacturing process, we keep the consumption of materials and energy to a minimum. Internal projects help us reduce our primary energy requirements, along with waste and waste water. Process water is cycled wherever feasible and unavoidable production waste is recycled as effectively as possible.

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It is important to us that our buildings and production systems keep energy consumption to a minimum. When planning and refurbishing buildings, we take a forward-looking approach, using state-of-the-art technology and renewable energy.

In construction projects, we assess environmental impacts in advance and take care that outdoor and green spaces reflect the natural environment.


ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PROCESSES

We develop globally applicable standards and processes, which ensure and exceed compliance with legal require-ments. They provide the basis for specific goals, which are regularly assessed in terms of their implementation.

Existing and planned processes are systematically analyzed in terms of their effect on the environment to minimize any possible negative impacts. For example, we work to avoid potentially dangerous substances in our products and production processes—even if the law allows their use.

We involve our employees in the implementation of these principles, and offer them regular information and training.

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Our suppliers and service providers are our partners, including in the areas of environmental and resource protection. Environmental aspects are, therefore, taken into account when we choose suppliers and service providers.

EMPLOYEES

Technology for Life means taking responsibility for people who use and rely on our technology. But our guiding principle also means taking responsibility for the people who make that technology possible in the first place. With their ideas and passion, our employees are the foundation for our success. Because we appreci-ate that, we also support them in numerous ways. And we value our diverse workforce. As a family company, we know how important the compatibility of work and family life is. Our aim is to offer our employees the best possible support in achieving that balance.

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26 | WE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY | EMPLOYEES

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

The health and safety of our employees is very important to us—wherever they are in the world. We believe that every accident at work is preventable. That is why we do not accept injuries at the company. Preventative measures are implemented proactively, and we make the necessary resources available. Each of us can contribute to our success and be a role model, regardless of our position.

We promote the occupational health and safety of our employees, above and beyond legal requirements and official regulations.

When planning workstations and workplaces, we take care to ensure safe and healthy working conditions. Our employees are involved in that process at an early stage.

We regularly evaluate potential occupational health and safety risks in the workplace, monitor the handling of

Employees

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dangerous substances and installations, and implement the necessary protective measures. Any incidents that do occur are investigated thoroughly, and the causes are addressed immediately.

Occupational safety and occupational health cooperate closely to achieve a holistic approach to prevention: the regular assessment of working conditions covers all areas of technical, organizational, and behavioral prevention, along with medical prevention, including travel warnings for business travel and pandemic prevention.

Our aim is to firmly establish awareness of occupational health and safety among our employees, which is why we consistently offer all employees occupational safety training. That training teaches our employees to behave in ways that protect their health, and to independently address or rectify unsafe situations.


We offer our employees a comprehensive health promotion program. For example, many locations provide free courses and company gyms, along with medical advice and care.

In the event of serious illness or medical uncertainty, our employees can contact Best Doctors for free, worldwide, to receive a second opinion from a renowned specialist. That offering is also available to our employees’ children and partners.

To ensure continual improvement in terms of occupational health and safety, we set ambitious goals in line with these principles and track planned measures for improvement.


TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Training ensures that our employees are well qualified for their roles, and achieve success. That is the only way to facilitate their personal and professional growth.

Annual appraisal meetings allow us to identify the areas in which employees can develop and define development targets individually with each employee.

Managers, project managers, and specialists have access to comprehensive training offerings throughout their careers. Our Dräger Academy transmits knowledge related to our products and services and their applica-tions, along with methods and other professional tools.

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Approximately 80 new trainees and students on dual study courses start their training in commercial, technical, and industrial professions at Dräger in Germany each year in cooperation with several universities.


DIVERSITY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

At Dräger we have always seen diversity as an invaluable opportunity. Since 1889, our company has benefited from different personalities, cultures, ways of thinking, and ideas. That is why we value a colorful mix of employees of differ-ent genders and nationalities. Diverse staffing allows us to achieve better results. It helps us take different perspectives into account and include them in our activities.

We believe that there are more women at Dräger who would be suited to a management position, and we want to identify and develop that potential.

By signing the Diversity Charter, we have recognized the importance of diversity as an element of our corporate culture.

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Dräger’s locations worldwide are increasingly networked, and employees of different nationalities define our company and enrich it with their varied professional and life experiences.

We strive for equal opportunity in all areas of the company and understand that it is our responsibility to work to combat and prevent discrimination.


COMPATIBILITY OF FAMILY AND WORKING LIFE

A strong work-life balance is very important to us as an employer. Our goal is to allow every employee to achieve a healthy balance between their professional and private life, based on the operational possibilities at our respective locations in consultation with the manager. Among other measures, we support that by means of:

flexible working hours and mobile working

part-time work

parental leave

partnerships for a range of initiatives in the areas of childcare, care for the elderly, health management, and leisure time.

SOCIETY

The long-term survival of the company depends on a healthy, prosperous environment, which we want to contribute to: our compliance management system addresses the topics of corruption, antitrust law, commercial criminal law, and our approach to possible conflicts of interest. The aim is to ensure that there is no chance of corruption and anti-competitive behavior at Dräger. We are committed to protecting human rights throughout the supply chain. Our social engagement contributes to greater security and health around the world.

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38 | WE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY | SOCIETY

PREVENTING CORRUPTION AND BRIBERY

Here at Dräger, we are committed to Technology for Life. A commitment of this nature is only credible if all boards, employees, and business partners comply with the highest possible standards when it comes to integrity. We manage this commitment through our principles of business and conduct and the compliance management system.

The aim of our compliance management system is to rapidly identify risks relating to corruption, antitrust law, commercial criminal law, and possible conflicts of interest, and to address them quickly.

We expect every manager to exemplify integrity. Compliance with applicable laws is a fundamental principle in every country in which we operate, and we do not engage in dubious business practices.

Society

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Dräger disapproves all corrupt, anti-competitive, and other unlawful behavior as not sustainable. We have faith in our employees, our products, and our ability to compete. Those are the ways we want to succeed, rather than through illegal attempts to wield influence or secret agreements with competitors.

Our employees receive training on selected compliance topics. Each Dräger employee should understand and internalize the compliance requirements that are relevant to their work, and act accordingly.

An open approach to weaknesses and failure is important to Dräger. We promote open dialog between employees and managers.


In addition, internal and external channels for reporting possible abuses, including anonymous channels, are in place at Dräger. A web-based whistle-blower system is available to Dräger employees, our business partners, and anybody else—regardless of location, around the clock.

We treat all leads confidentially and do not tolerate reprisals against informants.


HUMAN RIGHTS

Respecting human rights plays an instrumental role in our corporate social responsibility, and we expect the same approach from our suppliers. That is why we work with them closely to help them act responsibly. This approach contributes to our mutual long-term success and contributes to greater respect for human rights throughout the supply chain.

We do not accept child labor, forced labor, or work supported by human trafficking, whether at our own companies, at contractual partners, or in the supply chain.

Dräger tolerates neither threats nor other forms of violence against employees in the workplace.

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Cases of discrimination at the company are recorded and sanctioned.

All employees are expected to treat their colleagues and business partners in a polite, fair, and respectful manner.


COMMITMENT TO SOCIETY

As a traditional Lübeck-based company, we feel an obliga-tion to our home. Internationally, we support a number of projects by donating materials and money, and are engaged in social projects at many of our locations. That engage-ment contributes to greater safety and health around the world.

The non-profit Dräger Foundation, established in 1974 by Dr. Heinrich Dräger, sponsors science and research in accordance with its objectives.

Dräger also awards research prizes: for example, the Heinrich Dräger Prize recognizes outstanding work and projects in the field of intensive care.

Donating devices allows us to contribute, for example, to the reconstruction of hospitals in areas hit by disasters and crises.

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The company also supports medical care in hospitals in developing and newly industrialized countries.

We are delighted every time an employee makes a commitment to society, whether their focus is the kindergarten around the corner or the volunteer fire department, and we wish to support them in their efforts.

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