Fresenius Medical Care — Ethics Grade C

Fresenius Medical Care receives an overall ethics grade of C (48/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Healthcare. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 45
• privacy: 80
• consumer: 40
• environment: 60
• humanRights: 55

Documented incidents (3)

• FCPA Bribery Settlement (high, 2019) — The company paid $231 million to settle charges by the DOJ and SEC for paying bribes to government officials and public doctors in 17 countries to obtain business for its dialysis products and clinics.
• Dialysis Product Safety Settlement (high, 2016) — Fresenius agreed to a $250 million settlement following allegations that its dialysis products GranuFlo and NaturaLyte caused heart attacks. Internal memos showed the company knew of risks but failed to warn outside clinics.
• Anti-Union Tactics Allegations (medium, 2021) — Union organizers in the US alleged that Fresenius engaged in aggressive intimidation tactics to prevent dialysis technicians and nurses from unionizing for better safety equipment and staffing levels.

Documented good deeds

• Dialysis Water Saving — Implemented new technology in clinics that reduced water consumption during the dialysis process by 25% per treatment.

Ethical alternatives

• B. Braun — Family-owned company with significantly fewer legal controversies and higher employee satisfaction ratings.