Sustainability
In the spirit of 'bringing people together', dialogue and cooperation are cornerstones of our continued efforts to conduct our business in a responsible, sustainable manner. Our scientifically proven products contribute to the success of our customers and improve the quality of life of their patients by restoring dental function and esthetics. Innovation and development at Straumann, such as the introduction of our Bone Level Implant in 2007, are achieved in close collaboration with our customers, who support controlled market releases with their knowledge and participation.
The quality of our people is the basis of our successes both in innovation and in providing service excellence to our customers. We place great value on staff training and have prepared a strategic initiative to redesign our training and learning programs in 2008. The Straumann Code of Conduct, integrated into all our employment contracts in 2007, supports our staff in consistently behaving in an ethical, responsible manner toward their colleagues and all external partners, and with respect to environmental protection.
Regarding the environment, we have further refined our reporting processes, including the assessment of our carbon footprint, and have started collaborating with the non-profit ‘Carbon Disclosure Project’, which strives to bring environmentally conscious investors and companies together. While the ageing global population will increase demand for dental treatment and enable long-term growth potential for Straumann, such treatment is often unaffordable for the under-privileged. We collaborate with charitable organizations to support patients in need, a commitment that includes our new Straumann AID program, which operates in close collaboration with our customers.
In the spirit of our core belief that ‘achieving more is our future’, we want to deepen our initiatives to ensure that we run our business in a responsible, sustainable manner. I want to thank our staff, customers, and other partners for their invaluable contributions in this respect throughout 2007.
Gilbert Achermann
President and Chief Executive Officer
