Keeping to the highest standards of ethics and transparency is central to who we are; how we behave; and how we run our business. It goes without saying that we live up to international principles and policies. But we also do everything we can to set an example for our partners and our industry. This matters in an era where business success is no longer defined just by financial measures, but also by conduct.

Accordingly, we have processes in place to oversee, evaluate and report on all aspects of our work. They include a task force we’ve created to guide and oversee our work on sustainability. The task force is made up of key people in Karo Healthcare, alongside Board member Kristofer Tonström, who participates in quarterly update sessions. The task force reports to the CEO and updates the Board and majority shareholders once a year.

In 2022, we will appoint a Sustainability ­Manager who will report to the Vice-President of Corporate Communications, who, in turn, reports to the CEO. We’ll also dedicate resources to reporting and following up on sustainability data.

This puts sustainability on par with our other business processes because it has similar oversight and ­accountability structures to support it.

Our work on sustainability is also bolstered by our ethical guidelines and rules that govern relationships with our business partners. These include our Code of Conduct, which signals that we’re a reliable partner that works with integrity with customers, suppliers and authorities.

Our management system comprises eleven policies on corporate social responsibility, covering environment and business ethics, as well as procedures for legal and quality compliance, and patient safety. All our employees must sign off on these policies.

Across our value chain, from production to serving customers, we pledge to ensure product quality and patient safety. After our products reach consumers and patients, we monitor quality and patient safety data through pharmacovigilance overseen by our regulator. We also train all our people to keep their patient safety knowledge and procedures up to date.