Corporate Sustainability

Sustainability at Falk

As a family-run company that is now in its second generation of family ownership, it is in our nature to think in longer cycles and to shift some of our focus towards the future. This is why sustainability is not just a box ticking exercise for us – it is something that matters deeply to us and has long been at the heart of what we do.

The way in which we see ourselves is about so much more than just complying with regulatory requirements. It is about explicit potentials and levers within the company that can make a measurable contribution. And it is also important to us to explore uncharted territory and lead by example – so that we can help encourage and inspire others to go above and beyond the standard.

Our focus is and always has been on improving the health of people all around the world. In the future, as a company we want to make an all-embracing contribution to ensuring that life on this planet is worth living. This relates not only to human health – social cohesion, fair and supportive partnerships, protecting resources and, in particular, protecting our climate are also vital topics.

In May 2023 we launched a strategy process in order to define, develop and refine our commitment to sustainability. We have bundled our measures and projects in the field of sustainability and carefully broadened our corporate vision to add various aspects relating to sustainability.

Corporate vision details

Strategic action areas and a governance structure for sustainability have been jointly developed, individuals have been selected to take ownership of these issues, and a new position has been created for sustainability management. And we have set ourselves concrete objectives that we aim to measure ourselves by over the coming months and years. One of our intermediate goals is to finalise our group-wide CO2 footprint* (Corporate Carbon Footprint) in the first quarter of 2025. Doing this will lay important foundations for identifying reduction potential for our CO2 emissions.

When it comes to the issue of sustainability, our employees are particularly important to us: It is very clear to us that we will only be able to tackle the issues of sustainable transformation and compliance with regulatory requirements – such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) or the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, LkSG) – with the required level of success if we focus on working together. This is why our employees play such a key role in our sustainability journey, as they form an integral part of our efforts – and it is also why we will keep them continuously informed about all our activities and progress.

We have identified four action fields that are pivotal to our commitment:

Our first action field focuses on protecting climate and resources. We have identified the topic of climate protection as being an area of significance for Falk:

Reducing emissions and increasing energy efficiency are key factors in the fight against climate change. We do this in all areas – at our own sites, in production, across our supply chains and in distribution.
When it comes to selecting the materials for manufacturing our medicinal products and their packaging, we are very mindful of making sure that resources are used as responsibly as possible.

The second action field looks at how our business model contributes to global health. Core topics we have identified for Falk in this area are Product Quality & Safety, Research & Development and Transparency & Communication:

The well-being and health of all types of patients is a central concern of ours. This is something we take care of and take responsibility for. It is also the reason why we deliver high quality standards, initiate and conduct ongoing research, and develop and deliver innovative therapy and technology approaches.
We use our Falk Foundation to promote scientific dialogue, progress and innovation in gastroenterology and hepatology.

Our employees are at the heart of our third action field. They are the key not only to the commercial success of Falk, but also to our transformation into a more sustainable corporation. In this third action field we have identified four main topics for Falk: Working Conditions, Health & Safety, Equal Opportunities & Diversity, as well as Education & Training.

Companies consist of people. This is something we are very aware of. Good cooperation depends on mutual respect and appreciation and must reflect the needs and life situations of our employees. We support this with a motivating working environment in which everyone feels safe and is treated with respect and fairness.
Talents come in many shapes and forms, and this variety helps make the team bigger than the sum of its parts. This is why we always look out for individual strengths, which we support through personal and professional training and development programmes.

The fourth action field forms the basis for our corporate activities and business conduct. Accordingly, we see it as an overarching action field that defines the way in which we operate as a company. We have identified three core topics for Falk: Compliance & Anti-corruption, Corporate Culture & Values, as well as Supply Chain Responsibility.

The success of our company and the way in which we do business are based on ethical and lawful conduct.
By treating each other as equals and approaching each other with a sense of mutual appreciation and respect, we foster a feeling of togetherness in our workings with partners and suppliers. In addition, we endeavour to ensure that our ethical and social standards are applied and complied with along our entire value creation chain.

Our joint action will be defined by our Code of Conduct, and the way we work with our supply chain partners will be set out in our Supplier Code of Conduct.

* Our activities relate to all emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.