Sustainability

Much has been said about sustainability, but this concept is not always fully understood. The most widely disseminated belief is that sustainability is the capacity to meet current demands without jeopardizing the capacity of future generations to meet their own needs. This concept was defined in 1987 during the creation of the Brundtland Report by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).

Sustainability is underpinned by the Triple Bottom Line concept: economic growth, the environment and societal well-being. These three parameters must be balanced and integrated at companies.
 
Fleury believes sustainability is directly linked to the company’s mission, involving the integrated and balanced management of the Triple Bottom Line concepts as well as high-quality processes, and constituting an essential value that permeates the entire organization. This concept is aligned with the company’s strategic mission to add value to the organization, to the environment and to society.
 
Learn more below about our actions for each of the aspects involving the concept of sustainability:

Quality
Once again, Fleury emerges at the forefront of the industry, becoming the first healthcare company in Brazil with an Integrated Management System controlling its operations. The system controls both the quality of the services as well as environmental aspects, elements that are clearly expressed in the company’s Integrated Management Policy, which guides the actions of each employee.

Holding ISO 9001 since 1999, the Fleury Group has been implementing continuous improvements to maintain compliance with the certification, which includes participating in rigorous quality-control programs at the national and international levels, such as the Surveys and Anatomic Pathology Education Programs of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the Proficiency in Laboratory Tests (PELM) of the Brazilian Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Society (SBPC/ML).

In August 2002, Fleury received ISO 14001 certification, which recognizes companies that demonstrate a strategic focus on environmental preservation.

In September 2007, Fleury received international accreditation from CAP, recognizing the high standards of its services, which are supported by highly qualified professionals and cutting-edge technology. Moreover, the care given to the quality of processes is exemplified by the adoption of internationally recognized improvement tools, such as Lean6Sigma.

Environment
Fleury’s adaptation to ISO 14001 standards began with the company’s move to its current Technical-Administrative Head Office in the Jabaquara district of São Paulo in the second half of 2000. In short, the new installations combine all of the physical aspects required for the company to comply fully with the technical specifications of ISO 14001 certification, especially those related to complex issues, such as the internal treatment of infectious waste, which received an environmental license in 2006, an unprecedented feat in the industry.

In addition, the company monitors various environmental programs, with the main ones related to reducing waste and optimizing the use of natural resources. Regarding this aspect, since the 1990s, Fleury has implemented a recycling program at all of its facilities and properly disposed of other materials that could harm the environment, such as chemical reagents, fluorescent lamps and cooking oil.

If ISO 9001 certification exemplifies the excellence that has always been recognized by public opinion and the medical community, ISO 14001 in turn constitutes a modern reference for Fleury. In short, only the healthcare company that has best cared for its customers’ tests since 1926 could also dedicate to nature a similar level of care and respect.

Social Action
One of Fleury’s most important values is our commitment to sensitivity and the ability to put ourselves in the place of others and genuinely understand their condition. That is why we sponsor social projects for the communities surrounding the organization that target the areas of health and education, training employees to serve on the team of volunteers.
One highlight is the Gestation Project, which accompanies the health of pregnant women using clinical tests, laboratory tests and educational programs.
 
Motivated by the proposal to structure our team of volunteers, in 2001 we began to develop our first project in the area of health and education. The selected community was the district of Jabaquara in São Paulo, which is where our Technical-Administrative Head Office is located and where most of our employees are concentrated.
 
The project was selected because of the high demand from pregnant women in the community, which received services only through the Cruz de Malta Assistance Center, which served the majority of the public in the surrounding community.

The project was organized in partnership with the Assistance Center in order to better accompany the pregnant women, a process that includes clinical consultations, diagnostic tests and educational programs.

After performing tests to confirm pregnancy, the women are referred to their first prenatal consultation and a time is scheduled to collect samples for the laboratory tests. Upon registration in the program, the women receive a mother’s agenda where they can include all information required for accompanying their pregnancy.

During the regular consultations, the mothers receive orientation through educational presentations on the subjects of pregnancy, nutrition, nursing, vaccination and children’s education.