Sustainability

Environmental responsibility

Our key policies and practices governing environmental management are the Environmental Policy, the IEC 60601-1-9 Environmentally Conscious Design standard, the Supplier Policy, the Supplier Code of Conduct, as well as audits and supplier monitoring. Environmental aspects are managed in accordance with our sustainability management model.

Our Group-level Environmental Policy defines key environmental practices and applies to both our own operations and our suppliers. In environmental management, we use a certified ISO 13485 quality management system that guides the design and manufacture of medical devices. Our quality management system processes help us take environmental aspects and sustainability into account in our operations.

In our product design, we apply the environmental standard IEC 60601-1-9 Requirements for Environmentally Conscious Design. The IEC 60601 series of standards sets requirements for the safety and performance of medical devices. The series is comprised of the master standard and supplementary sub-standards covering both general and equipment group-specific requirements. In Brazil, for example, product design in accordance with the standard is a prerequisite for new products entering the market for marketing authorization.

Our procurement is guided by our global Supplier Policy and Supplier Code of Conduct. This way, we ensure that our subcontractors meet our quality and environmental criteria as well as regulatory requirements. We train the employees in charge of procurement to take environmental criteria into account in purchasing decisions and contracts.

When selecting suppliers and cooperating with them, we take into account their ESG goals and also use third-party assessments. We audit suppliers both ourselves and through third parties. All of our critical suppliers have been assessed by a third party (100%) and environmental criteria are one of the key criteria for assessing all suppliers. These criteria are based on our Supplier Policy and the Group’s Environmental Policy.

Read more from our 2024 Sustainability Report.

Sustainability report 2024