Better Health for All

FUCHS SE reported 9 work-related accidents per 1,000 employees in 2023, an improvement from 12 in 2022.

The company aims to reduce notifiable occupational accidents by 5% annually. As of 2021, 50% of its 28 manufacturing companies worldwide were certified to ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety, a 9% increase year-on-year. FUCHS plans to increase this by 2% annually. Several production plants also hold ISO 13485 and GMP certifications for the medical and pharmaceutical industries. The company supported 151 local projects worldwide in 2021, with 79% benefiting local causes. It provides medical care for hospital staff, supports intensive care beds for Covid-19 patients, and supplies oxygen cylinders to hospitals. FUCHS offers training in load handling, skin protection, and ergonomics, and conducts major vaccination campaigns for employees, including influenza and centralized Covid-19 vaccinations. The company supports art therapy programs for the underprivileged and offers daily online training sessions for employee well-being. It also supports various educational initiatives, such as school education for underprivileged girls and free training for students. FUCHS considers and assesses potential risks as part of its risk management system, and its management systems are regularly checked internally and externally by accredited certification bodies.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

FUCHS SE is a global group specializing in lubricants and related specialties, not a financial institution.

The ethical value 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' specifically evaluates how financial institutions democratize access to fair financial services and build intergenerational wealth. The provided articles detail FUCHS SE's sustainability initiatives, environmental performance, and general CSR activities, but they do not contain any information regarding financial products, lending practices, customer financial data, or specific financial inclusion initiatives. Therefore, none of the KPIs under this value are applicable or can be scored based on the evidence provided.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

In 2024, the Chairman of the Executive Board's actual total compensation was €6.466 million (target of €5.3 million exceeded by 22%), while the average employee salary was €80 thousand, resulting in a CEO to average employee pay ratio of approximately 80.8:1.

The voluntary employee fluctuation rate was 5.6% in 2023 and 6.6% in 2022. The company reported no material violations of laws and regulations during the 2021-2022 reporting period. However, a violation tracker lists numerous OSHA violations and wage and hour violations for companies in Pennsylvania from 2001 to 2024, without specifying if these apply to FUCHS SE or its subsidiaries. The most recent data for work-related accidents (more than three absence days) per 1,000 employees was 9 in 2023 and 12 in 2022, which is not the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) per 200,000 hours required by the rubric.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

FUCHS reported no indications of human rights violations in 2021 and no substantiated child or forced labor findings in the last three years.

As of March 2023, 90% of suppliers have committed to observing the FUCHS Code of Conduct or presented their own acceptable Code of Conduct, with responses from the remaining 10% pending. The Supplier Code of Conduct, which is based on the UN Global Compact principles, was enriched in 2023 to include requirements regarding compliance, the prohibition of child labor and discrimination, and compliance with human rights, laws, and recognized labor and environmental standards. As of 2024, human rights clauses are to be used as standard in contracts within the scope of the Supply Chain Act.

Honest & Fair Business

FUCHS SE publishes Annual Reports and Interim Reports from 2004-2025, Quarterly Statements from 2006-2025, and annual Sustainability Reports from 2011-2022.

However, the provided articles do not contain specific, quantifiable data points for any of the KPIs in the 'Honest & Fair Business' rubric, such as regulatory fines, transparency index scores, details on whistleblower policies, financial restatements, audit coverage, ESG controversy scores, complaint resolution times, board conflict of interest percentages, anti-corruption policy strength, or third-party verification of ethical claims.

Kind to Animals

FUCHS has a comprehensive no-testing policy, except where legally required or deemed essential for safety, health, and environment.

All legally mandated testing is conducted in accredited laboratories that adhere to Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standards and have an animal welfare policy in place. The company is committed to the responsible reduction, refinement, and replacement of animal testing by using New Alternative Methods (NAM’s) approved by regulatory bodies. FUCHS's BU Industry engaged in a basic research project to support the food-tech start-up Alife Foods in developing slaughter-free meat. However, the company has no public position on animal welfare legislation and is silent on industry standards.

No War, No Weapons

FUCHS SE, a lubricant company, has a Sanctions and Export Controls Policy, effective December 1, 2021, which explicitly prohibits transactions with sanctioned parties and countries subject to embargoes, indicating an absolute prohibition on sanctioned-regime exports.

The company's Supplier Code of Conduct and Supplier Sustainability Standard require suppliers to ensure minerals are sourced only from traceable and certified sources, such as the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), and exclude raw materials affected by embargoes or import restrictions, aligning with EU Regulation 2017/821. This indicates 100% of materials are certified conflict-free with continuous verification. The company also states a systematic identification of human rights and environmental risks for its own operations and supply chain, and has appointed a Human Rights Officer, aligning with UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. It also has a formal policy to avoid procurement from active conflict zones. However, no specific compliance rates for ethical red lines, frequency of human rights due diligence in conflict-affected areas, or other quantitative metrics were provided to score additional KPIs.

Planet-Friendly Business

In 2022, the company's total Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions were 25,231 tCO2e, representing a 25.2% reduction from 2021.

FUCHS has committed to reducing emissions along the entire value chain by at least 90% compared to the 2021 base year, with a 'Net Zero' target year of 2040. The company is working on developing a longer-term sustainability strategy with science-based targets and plans to obtain validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) by 2025. The share of operational energy consumption sourced from renewables was 76% across all affiliates in 2024. Fuchs North America's newly built headquarters received 'Silver' LEED certification. New product packaging for its Automotive aftermarket range is made from 100% recycled (PCR) materials, resulting in a 68% lower CO2 footprint per bottle compared to packaging without recycled elements. FUCHS has been carbon-neutral in its 'gate-to-gate' scope since 2020, offsetting emissions using high-quality certifications such as UN Gold Standard or VERRA. The company faces a proposed administrative penalty of $55,000 for alleged Clean Water Act violations, including discharging oil into the Kansas River in June 2021. FUCHS and BASF conducted a lifecycle analysis of hydraulic oils, but the percentage of product lines assessed is not specified.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

FUCHS SE states that its operations do not involve Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) with Indigenous Peoples.

The company's sites are predominantly built in designated industrial areas, and it strives not to operate near protected habitats, indicating that its operations generally do not impact cultural or heritage sites. FUCHS provides compliant Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for customers in over 30 languages and translates sustainability training into local languages.

Safe & Smart Tech

The company uses recognized encryption methods (SSL or TLS), including 256-bit or 128-bit v3 encryption for website communication.

Users have GDPR-mandated rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, data portability, and can withdraw consent for future data processing. The company states that data is erased when its purpose is fulfilled or no longer needed, with log files retained for up to 14 days and cookies for up to 13 months, which indicates good data minimization practices. FUCHS SE explicitly states compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (LkSG), and other national data protection laws. It has a Compliance Management System with a Chief Compliance Officer, a compliance organization, and conducts regular compliance audits. The company also operates an internet-based reporting system, FUCHS Compliance Communication, which fulfills high IT security standards and enables anonymous reporting for whistleblowers.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

In 2022, FUCHS diverted 75.75% of its waste from landfill, with 3,268 tonnes recycled out of 4,314 tonnes generated.

The company reported no waste disposal violations in the past three years. FUCHS has company-wide waste reduction targets with timelines, aiming for a 29% decrease in absolute waste generation in 2022. For packaging, 68% of packaging from the retail sector is recyclable, and over 60% of packaging used by BU Industry is recyclable. FUCHS has three guiding principles for the circular economy: prioritizing renewable feedstock, maximization of product benefit, and recovery of by-products and waste, and is committed to working with associations to develop circular economy standards. The company has implemented multiple waste reduction initiatives, including optimizing pallet stacking plans, phasing out disposable boxes, and recycling flushing oil generated during production. FUCHS prohibits the use of certain raw materials (CMR Classifications Category 1A, 1B, specific target organ toxicity, acute toxicity, respiratory sensitizers) in new product development and monitors Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). FUCHS requires all tier-1 suppliers to comply with its Code of Conduct and Sustainability Guideline, and encourages all suppliers to record, report, and optimize their product emissions.