Sustainable corporate governance at Charité

If you want to run a clinic sustainably, you can't just focus on the impact of operations on the environment. Social, economic or human rights aspects also play an important role in our strategy and in all major decisions. However, the complexity of the issue demands correspondingly wise governance. (The term - derived from the French "gouverner": "to manage", "to lead", "to educate" - refers to the control and regulation system of a political-social unit or organization based on ethical principles).

The governance of Charité is continuously driven by the idea of sustainability. Within the framework of our sustainability strategy, we always disclose which concrete measures we take in order to act in accordance with the essential and recognized industry-specific, national and international standards.

In this context, we are already taking into account the planned amendment and expansion of the directive on non-financial reporting and sustainable supply chains by the European Commission. This is to be implemented in the coming years. The background to this is the European Green Deal, which is intended to anchor the issue of sustainability even more firmly in corporate management.

To make our sustainable actions transparent to employees, patients, politicians and society, we also report within the framework of the German Sustainability Code - and in parallel are constantly preparing for innovations in reporting and increasing regulatory requirements.

As a matter of principle, our corporate culture is based on fair and compliant behavior by all employees - as set out in corresponding compliance guidelines. Compliance with regulatory requirements is derived from our social obligation to play a key role in shaping the life sciences and a humane knowledge society of the future.