Reporting profile

Reporting practice

Sonova reports in an annual cycle. The 2020/21 reporting period covers the financial year from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. The most recent previous Annual Report and Corporate Responsibility Report were released on May 19, 2020.

The Sonova Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report for 2020/21, when combined with the 2020/21 business and financial report, complies with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and forms an integral part of Sonova’s UN Global Compact Communication on Progress. See our GRI content index for details on how the report content maps against the GRI Standards and UNGC principles. See our SASB index for details on how the report content maps against the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards governing sustainability disclosure topics and accounting metrics for the medical equipment & supplies industry. These indices refer solely to the content of the online CR Report. Additional relevant information about economic performance and remuneration is provided in the compensation report, corporate governance report, and financial review chapters of the Annual Report.

Entities

The information and data provided relate to the entire Sonova Holding AG, including its Group companies, unless explicitly noted. Some ESG data stem from actual data collection, whereas other data from particular Group companies were only estimated. Whenever applicable, it is stated in the respective sections whether the data are measured or estimated.

Organizational profile

Sonova, headquartered in Stäfa, Switzerland, is a leading provider of innovative hearing care solutions. The Group operates through its core business brands Phonak, Unitron, Hansaton, Advanced Bionics and the brands of the Audiological Care business, e.g. AudioNova, Geers, Boots Hearing Care, Connect Hearing and Lapperre. Sonova offers its customers one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in the industry – from hearing instruments to cochlear implants to wireless communication solutions. Pursuing a unique vertically integrated business strategy, the Group operates through three core businesses – Hearing Instruments, Audiological Care and Cochlear Implants – along the entire value chain of the hearing care market. The Group’s sales and distribution network, the widest in the industry, comprises over 50 own wholesale companies in over 30 countries and more than 100 independent distributors. This is complemented by Sonova’s Audiological Care business, which offers professional audiological services through a network of around 3,300 locations in 20 key markets. Founded in 1947, the Group has a workforce of over 14,000 dedicated employees and major operation sites in Switzerland, the United States, China, and Vietnam. Across all businesses, Sonova pursues its vision of a world where everyone enjoys the delight of hearing and therefore lives a life without limitations.

Sonova Holding AG is a Swiss public limited company. More details on our products, services, brands, and activities as well as financial information, including a list of significant shareholders are provided in the 2020/21 financial report and business report.

Restatements and significant changes

There were no significant changes during 2020/21 in the scope, boundary, or measurement methods applied in the report that would require a restatement of information provided in earlier Sonova CR Reports. There were no significant changes to the organization’s size, structure, ownership, or supply chain that could cause or contribute to significant ESG impacts during the reporting year. The list of material topics has been last updated in 2019/20 as described in the section IntACT – Sonova’s ESG Strategy.

Declaration and assurance

This report has been prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards: Core option.

PricewaterhouseCoopers AG has provided independent assurance on specific data outlined in the CR Report 2020/21. For more detail, see the Independent Assurance Report. The compensation report, the consolidated financial statements, and the financial statements of Sonova Holding AG in the 2020/21 Annual Report have been audited by a statutory external auditor.

Contact

If you have questions regarding this 2020/21 CR Report or its contents, please contact Sonova AG, Laubisrütistrasse 28, 8712 Stäfa, Switzerland.
Phone: +41 58 928 01 01 | Email: responsibility@sonova.com