Respecting human rights is a core part of our corporate social responsibility. We have a zero-tolerance approach to child or forced labor, as well as any form of modern slavery or work facilitated by human trafficking. This applies as much to our own companies as it does to our contractual partners and supply chains. We do not tolerate threatening behavior or any form of violence towards employees in the workplace. We expect all of our employees to treat their colleagues and business partners politely, fairly, and with respect.

We see diversity as an opportunity and an invaluable asset. A diverse workforce helps us to produce better results. It helps us to look at things from different perspectives and integrate these new perspectives into our actions. That is why we strive towards achieving diversity and equal opportunities in all aspects of our business. We consider it our duty to combat and prevent discrimination. We have zero tolerance for discrimination on the basis of ethnic background, nationality, gender, religion, ideology, age, disability, or sexual identity.

Our technology protects people and the environment. Protecting the environment is therefore not just our duty, but also an opportunity for us to gain a competitive advantage through environmentally friendly products and by conserving resources. For this reason, we make sure that our day-to-day activities, in all areas of the company, protect the environment rather than damage it. We are committed to the United Nations’ climate action goals. We handle resources responsibly and work systematically to reduce our carbon footprint. What is more, Dräger products and services help our customers all over the world live up to their responsibility to protect people and the environment.

People entrust Dräger products with their most valuable possession: their lives. That is why they have to be able to trust our products and their quality at all times. Complying with all legal and regulatory requirements is part of the course. We meet the highest standards of quality throughout the entire product lifecycle. Our employees make sure that the focus is on customer satisfaction across the board, from development to production and supply, all the way through to sales and service. We pay special attention to making sure our products are easy to use and make our customers’ work safer and more efficient. Customers can count on the safety and reliability of our products even after years of intensive use in extreme conditions.

Our mission is to make life a little bit better every day—above and beyond the scope of our technology. That is why we engage in predominantly social projects and education initiatives, making contributions through material and financial donations. Our medical and safety products in particular give us the opportunity to help people in need, reduce suffering, and make rescue workers’ jobs easier. What’s more, our employees also support our efforts through their own social commitments. Donations are only made after going through a transparent approval process, and are completed independent of Dräger’s procurement decisions and sales business. This ensures that we avoid any suspicion whatsoever of corruption or conflicts of interest.

We appreciate and value the trust of our employees and business partners, as well as the public at large. That is why we always communicate honestly and openly. Statements must always be truthful, correct, and objectively demonstrable, as well as compliant at all times with legal and ethical standards. As a rule, communication materials must always take the cultural aspects and context of the target market into account. Furthermore, we do not infringe on the rights of other persons or competitors and, in particular, ensure that we are not in violation of any trademarks or copyright.

We are convinced of the importance of active dialogue with policymakers and representatives from the economic, science and research industries, as well as civil society. We represent our interests and contribute our expertise in carefully selected working groups, ministerial committees, diplomatic representations, governmental and financial institutions, associations, and NGOs, all while ensuring we remain transparent and neutral at all times. We engage in dialogue instead of funding political organizations or election campaigns.

Gifts, appropriate hospitality, and invitations to relevant events are normal in the course of business and do not necessarily give rise to corruption. However, our handbooks contain clearly defined rules to prevent even the appearance of any undue influence being exerted. This is the standard we also set for ourselves. Transparency is absolutely essential, alongside aspects such as appropriateness, frequency, and timing. These rules ensure that we do not embarrass the people we do business with, or put them or ourselves in unpleasant positions. We must pay particular attention to public officials, who are responsible for maintaining the valuable integrity of the public sector and are subject to even stricter requirements. At the same time, we respond with indifference to calls for payment for preferential treatment and do not allow ourselves to be blackmailed.

Our private interests are a constant companion. We cannot avoid every conflict of interest, but we can deal with them properly.

We respect the private lives of our employees. However, situations where private interests outweigh the interests of the company can damage both Dräger and our employees. That is why we expect each and every employee to take a proactive and transparent approach to potential conflicts of interest. This is the only way to resolve such situations in the interests of Dräger.

We have a zero-tolerance approach when it comes to corruption, both at Dräger or by third parties. We act transparently and make sure corruption is nipped in the bud as soon as the first signs emerge.

With our technology for life, we protect people and society as a whole. Corruption benefits the select few who only think of themselves.

We have faith in our competency and quality, as well as the competitiveness of our products and services. Corruption leads to improper decision-making, dependency, and a loss of control.

We think sustainably and across generations. Corruption damages us in the short term and in the long term. It erodes the trust of our business partners and ruins our reputation.

We trust our products and services, and our capacity for innovation, which is why we conduct our business on the basis of talent, effort, and achievement within a free and fair competitive environment.

We also benefit from the advantages competition provides, which is why we exercise caution in all contact with potential competitors—be it directly or through third parties. We leverage our strong market position with care and discretion, and provide our sales structure with the necessary room to maneuver.

Competition fosters innovation and ultimately benefits those who require innovative technology for life.

The way we do business with our business partners is symbolic of Dräger. We value the fact that our partners hold themselves up to the same standards as we do. We take care to maintain our good reputation, and the integrity of our business partners is just as important. Stable and productive relationships, be it in sales or in procurement, are essential to our success.

Our business relationships are based on objective decisions. Criteria such as price, quality, reliability, financial stability, capacity for innovation, and sustainability are what matter to us. This includes complying with legal and ethical business principles. We make use of competition and our negotiating skills to achieve the best possible price/performance ratio for Dräger.

In addition, we ensure that goods provided by our business partners satisfy all applicable requirements relating to materials and their origin, such as conflict minerals for example.

We do not allow ourselves to be influenced by the financial or personal interests of individuals. We take the utmost care when selecting our business partners, making sure agreements are clearly defined and concluded in writing. This approach allows us to combat the risk of advisers or brokers being used to conceal corruption payments or create the impression of “gentlemen’s agreements.”

We only sell or export goods if we are permitted to do so under export laws. This requirement is safeguarded through careful definition of internal procedures. We keep a close eye on global developments and the political responses to them. Here, our focus is on supporting our business for the benefit of our customers.

We meet all legal requirements when it comes to international trade and our obligations regarding goods and taxes. We pay all necessary import duties and comply fully with bans and restrictions on imports and exports. These obligations are reviewed on a regular basis.

As an international company, we comply with the tax regulations of all countries in which we operate. This ensures that we can contribute to financing infrastructure and government spending in these countries.

We make sure that we prevent any payments being received or made for the purpose of laundering money from criminal sources. We identify suspicious transactions and assess their legality. If necessary, we stop such payments from being made and report them to the authorities.

We record all business transactions correctly, in full, and in compliance with relevant laws, requirements, and standards. Interim reports are prepared in accordance with relevant national and international accounting principles. Prompt publication of accurate financial information reinforces the trust placed in Dräger by investors, business partners, and financial markets.

We provide the capital markets and the general public with precise information in good time. This applies to our regular reporting as part of our annual report, our annual financial statements, and our quarterly statements as well as to our ad hoc notifications.

Insider dealing is against the law, as is disclosing inside information. We only use potential inside information referring to Dräger and its financial instruments internally and for the purpose of Dräger business on a strictly need-to-know basis. We do not pass this information on, either internally or externally—and that includes to family members. Not only that, we also do not make any recommendations based on possible inside information.

We publish inside information immediately and correctly in the form of ad hoc notifications. This creates an equal playing field for all, helping to ensure correct capital market pricing, prevent abuse of the market, and strengthening investors’ and contractual partners’ trust in Dräger.

We can speak openly about this information once it is published.

The health and safety of all of our employees is a matter that is close to our heart. We believe that any accident at work is preventable. Here at Dräger, we are committed to structuring our workplaces in such a way that they offer safe and healthy working conditions. But that is not enough: the only way we can all contribute to a safe environment is when we remain mindful and act as role models. We strive to establish an awareness of this mindset in every one of our employees and work towards making improvements in partnership with them. We are committed to the health and safety of our employees above and beyond the measures enshrined in law, offering preventative measures to foster a healthy lifestyle.

Dräger stands for the integrity and reliability of its products and employees. We are all responsible for ensuring an adequate level of data protection and information security. Confidentiality, integrity, and availability are at the forefront of our activities and are the key to our success as a business.

We process all personal data in accordance with applicable laws. We implement appropriate protection for data and information in line with its criticality. We keep official and regulatory data confidential and implement special measures to protect it from sabotage in terms of any activities that are relevant to national security.

Life without information technology (IT) at Dräger is inconceivable. We use IT prudently to reduce risk, which can include disruption to data processing through harmful programs (viruses), data loss as a result of programming errors, or the abuse of data by third parties.

We know that we must protect our data and IT systems from unauthorized access, data loss, and manipulation. Not only that, we also know that unencrypted data transfers and clicking on unknown links is no way to ensure the safety of our IT resources.

As Dräger employees, we are familiar with applicable IT security frameworks and stick to these rules and regulations.

Company assets such as tools, machinery, vehicles, and intellectual property belong to Dräger. These assets have been entrusted to us for the purpose of our everyday work. We treat them as valuable resources that we use carefully and sparingly when performing our tasks and duties for Dräger. We would like to maximize our use of these assets and eliminate loss, wastage, or unnecessary wear and tear. We check whether we need to safe guard ideas or the results of our work as intellectual property and maintain confidentiality to the necessary extent. It is important that we protect our company assets from unauthorized, including private, usage.

Should Dräger ever be the subject of any official investigations, we stand up to our responsibility and aim to establish cooperative dialogue. Each and every one of us needs to make our own contribution.

In internal investigations or audits, it is vital that we identify potential vulnerabilities so that we can improve moving forward.

We aim to learn from our mistakes and keep reputational and financial damages to an absolute minimum. As a result, each of us must cooperate fully with colleagues conducting internal investigations or audits.

Another key aspect of the corporate culture at Dräger is cooperation in good faith with employee representatives. We lay the foundations for effective cooperation by maintaining open and ongoing dialogue based on mutual respect and recognition of alternative standpoints. This approach is the only way to find solutions to challenging situations that serve the interests of the company while taking the needs of our employees into appropriate consideration.