Frequently asked questions
Curious about Bosch? Find clear answers to common questions about the company, its history, innovations, sustainability, and career opportunities at Bosch.
General
Where is Bosch’s headquarters?
The headquarters of Robert Bosch GmbH is located in Gerlingen-Schillerhöhe, near Stuttgart, Germany.
The official address is:
Robert-Bosch-Platz 1
70839 Gerlingen-Schillerhöhe
Germany
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In how many countries is Bosch represented?
Bosch is represented in more than 60 countries with 500 subsidiaries and regional companies. Together with its sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world.
This international presence is part of Bosch's global positioning as a technology and service company. It enables the networking of development, manufacturing, and sales worldwide while working closely with regional markets and customers. The global network includes own companies in more than 60 countries, as well as numerous sales and service partnerships in other markets.
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How many associates does Bosch have worldwide?
Bosch employs approximately 413,000 associates worldwide.
This makes Bosch one of the major international technology and service companies with a global presence in development, manufacturing, sales, and services.
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What are Bosch’s revenue and profit?
Bosch achieved a revenue of 91 billion euros in the 2025 fiscal year. The operating result before financial result and taxes (EBIT) was around 1.8 billion euros, with an operating EBIT margin of approximately 2 percent.
Revenue was slightly above the previous year's figure of 90.3 billion euros, while the operating EBIT margin was below the 3.5 percent from the 2024 fiscal year. This was due to factors including the weak economic environment, increasing competition and price pressure, higher tariffs, and significant provisions for necessary structural adjustments.
- Revenue 2025: 91 billion euros.
- Operating EBIT 2025: around 1.8 billion euros.
- Operating EBIT margin 2025: around 2 percent.
- Revenue 2024: 90.3 billion euros; operating EBIT margin 2024: 3.5 percent.
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What are Bosch's main business sectors?
Bosch divides its business activities into four main business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. With this structure, Bosch is actively shaping technological developments in key future fields such as artificial intelligence, digitalization, electrification, and automation.
The broad diversification across industries and regions strengthens Bosch's innovative strength and robustness. At the same time, it allows for the combination of technological competencies from different areas to offer customers cross-domain solutions from a single source. Bosch combines expertise in hardware, software, and services, using connectivity and artificial intelligence to develop and manufacture smart, user-friendly, and sustainable products.
- Mobility : Solutions for mobility, vehicle technology, software, and connectivity.
- Industrial Technology : Technologies for industry, automation, and manufacturing.
- Consumer Goods : Primarily power tools and home appliances.
- Energy and Building Technology : Solutions for buildings, energy efficiency, building security, and building automation.
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Who owns Bosch?
The majority of Bosch is owned by the non-profit Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, which holds 94 percent of the capital shares in Robert Bosch GmbH. However, approximately 93 percent of the voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, whose task is to secure the long-term existence and financial independence of the company.
The corporate structure of Robert Bosch GmbH is designed to ensure the entrepreneurial independence of the Bosch Group and to enable long-term investments in future-oriented fields. Although Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH holds the largest share of the capital, it has no influence on the strategic and business orientation of the Bosch Group. The remaining shares are held by a company of the Bosch family with around 5 percent and Robert Bosch GmbH itself with around 1 percent; the remaining voting rights of about 7 percent belong to the descendants of the company founder Robert Bosch.
- 94 percent of the capital shares are held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH.
- Approximately 93 percent of the voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG.
- The remaining shares and voting rights are held by the Bosch family or the descendants of the company founder, and a small part by Robert Bosch GmbH.
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What does “Invented for life” mean?
“Invented for life” is our compass and a central part of our brand promise. The motto originates from our founder, Robert Bosch. "Invented for life" describes Bosch's aspiration to develop technology that provides tangible benefits for people. It refers to products and solutions that improve quality of life, conserve natural resources, and at the same time stand for quality, reliability, and responsibility.
This guiding principle shapes Bosch's actions across all business sectors. With it, Bosch combines the aspiration to develop and manufacture intelligent, user-friendly, and sustainable products, for example, through the use of connectivity and artificial intelligence. "Invented for life" also describes our corporate purpose: to act in an economically, ecologically, and socially responsible manner to help secure the livelihoods of current and future generations. Thus, the phrase stands not only for technological performance but also for the responsibility that technology should serve humanity.
- Improve quality of life.
- Conserve natural resources.
- Combine quality, reliability, and responsible action.
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What is the Bosch Strategy 2030?
The Bosch Strategy 2030 is the company's long-term orientation to ensure competitiveness and seize new business opportunities. Bosch aims to achieve an average annual growth of six to eight percent by 2030, a return of at least seven percent, and to be among the top three suppliers in its key markets in all regions of the world.
At the core of the strategy are a stronger cost and competitive position, targeted investments in innovations, and the expansion of future-relevant business areas. Bosch is focusing on software-defined mobility, electrification, hydrogen, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning solutions, as well as the broad application of artificial intelligence within the company. At the same time, the strategy is intended to secure the company's financial independence and investment capacity, even in a volatile economic environment.
- Financial goals: average annual growth of six to eight percent by 2030, return of at least seven percent.
- Market position: among the top three suppliers in key markets worldwide.
- Levers: competitive cost structures, innovations, acquisitions, and AI-driven productivity increases.
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History of Bosch
When was Bosch founded and by whom?
Bosch was founded in 1886 as a "Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering" at Rotebühlstrasse 75B in the west of Stuttgart. The founder, Robert Bosch, was a 25-year-old precision mechanic born near Ulm. After several years of traveling to gain professional experience, he established his own business.
Through his employment with various international companies, Robert Bosch had gained insight into the field of electrical engineering and was dedicated to this new technology of the time. In his workshop, he intended to build and sell electrical apparatus and offer electrical installations. The first few years were difficult until a customer order in 1897 brought the upswing. Robert Bosch and his associates successfully applied a magneto ignition device to an automobile, thereby helping to make the car a reliable means of transport with a long range.
- Founding date: November 15, 1886.
- Founder: Robert Bosch.
- Founding location: Rotebühlstrasse 75B in Stuttgart.
- Original name: Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.
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What did Robert Bosch invent? Which innovations were launched by Robert Bosch and his associates?
Robert Bosch was not an inventor, but he and his associates repeatedly managed to take up, improve, and bring to market forward-looking innovations. An example is the magneto ignition device, which was not a Bosch invention but was further developed by Bosch so that it could be successfully used in cars.
Over the decades, Bosch brought numerous other innovations to series production, including solutions for mobility, households, and trades.
- Magneto ignition device and high-voltage magneto ignition with spark plug.
- Generators, headlights, and electric starters.
- Electric horn, windshield wipers, and car radios.
- Injection pumps and other injection systems.
- Power tools as well as products like refrigerators, televisions, and water heaters.
- Later milestones such as ABS or modern sensor technology.
Robert Bosch himself formulated this approach as follows: “I may be said not to be an inventor, and I make no claim to this title. But I am the man who has succeeded, through perseverance, by good example, and by proper treatment of my associates, in building up a business that has a good name throughout the world.”
The focus was not on the title “nventor,” but on building a high-performing company with good working conditions, high quality, and a feel for future-proof products.
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Which famous quotes originate with Robert Bosch?
Several of Robert Bosch's statements on trust, quality, responsibility, and social partnership are still frequently quoted today. His guiding principle is particularly well-known:
“I have always acted according to the principle: I would rather lose money than trust. The integrity of my promises, the belief in the value of my products, and in my word of honor have always been more important to me than temporary gain.”
Many of the surviving quotes show that Robert Bosch never saw economic success as separate from social responsibility. His statements concern not only entrepreneurship and product quality but also fair working conditions, human dignity, and the long-term independence of the company. As such, they continue to shape Bosch's historical self-image to this day:
- “I don’t pay good wages because I have a lot of money; I have a lot of money because I pay good wages.”
- “One should always strive to improve the existing state of affairs; no one should be content with what has been achieved, but should always endeavor to do their job even better.”
- “It is a matter close to my heart that Robert Bosch GmbH [...] remains secure for as long a line of generations as possible and can at all times maintain its financial independence, its autonomy, and its ability to act.”
- “Employers and employees are equally dependent on the fate of their company.”
- “Be human and honor human dignity.”
- “A contribution to the improvement of technology and the economy should always also be useful to people and nations.”
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What training did Robert Bosch have?
From 1876 to 1879, Robert Bosch completed an apprenticeship as a precision mechanic in Ulm. This craft-technical training laid the foundation for his later path as an entrepreneur and for his early interest in precision, technology, and industrial quality.
After his apprenticeship, from 1879 to 1886, Robert Bosch gained practical experience in various companies in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the USA. These years not only expanded his technical skills as a mechanic but also brought him into contact with new technical developments and different working environments. What was particularly formative was that, in retrospect, he found his own training to be unsupportive: there had been a lack of guidance and systematic instruction. It was from this experience that he later, as an entrepreneur, derived the ambition to design training at Bosch better.
These experiences had a direct impact on the company. Robert Bosch placed great value on a sound apprenticeship and established his own apprentice workshop in 1913, which was considered progressive for its time. His years of professional travel also influenced his entrepreneurial actions, for example, on topics such as working conditions and modern business organization.
- Training: Precision mechanic.
- Training period: 1876 to 1879.
- Training location: Ulm.
- Years of professional travel: 1879 to 1886 in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the USA.
- Consequence for Bosch: own apprentice workshop from 1913.
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When and where was Robert Bosch born?
Robert Bosch was born on September 23, 1861, in Albeck near Ulm on the Swabian Alb. He was the eleventh of twelve children and grew up in a family environment that shaped him early on through education, a sense of responsibility, and social interest.
His father, Servatius Bosch, was a farmer and operator of the "Zur Krone" inn and was considered unusually well-read, politically interested, and socially engaged for his time. This open-minded and progressive attitude had a lasting influence on Robert Bosch. His mother, Maria Margaretha Bosch (née Dölle), is also described in biographical accounts as a formative figure. His origin from Albeck near Ulm is therefore not just a biographical detail but part of the life story of an entrepreneur whose values continue to shape Bosch to this day.
- Date of birth: September 23, 1861.
- Place of birth: Albeck near Ulm on the Swabian Alb.
- Family context: eleventh of twelve children.
- Parents: Servatius Bosch and Maria Margaretha Bosch (née Dölle).
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When and how did Robert Bosch die?
Robert Bosch died on March 12, 1942, in Stuttgart from the consequences of a middle ear infection. He was 81 years old and left behind a company that had already grown into a major industrial enterprise with tens of thousands of associates.
At the time of his death, Bosch had grown far beyond its beginnings as a workshop. In his will, Robert Bosch had stipulated that the company should be secured for the long term, remain financially independent, and capable of action. His social and philanthropic engagement was also to be continued after his death. This task has been carried out since 1964 by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, which dates back to his legacy.
- Date of death: March 12, 1942.
- Place of death: Stuttgart.
- Cause of death: Consequences of a middle ear infection.
- Legacy: Independence of the company and continuation of social engagement.
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Careers at Bosch
How can I apply to Bosch?
Open positions at Bosch can be found via the global job search on jobs.bosch.com. There, applicants can filter by location, functional area, entry level, or keyword and apply directly online using the “Apply now” button.
After selecting a suitable position, an applicant profile is created and the required documents are uploaded. Depending on the job posting, this may include a resume, certificates, and other proofs of qualification; the specific documents required are listed in the respective job advertisement. Bosch also offers simplified application processes, for instance, by pre-filling profile data based on an uploaded resume. The application process typically includes the online application, a review of the documents, and one or more interviews via video or on-site. For certain positions, assessments, tests, or case studies may also be required.
- Search and filter for jobs on jobs.bosch.com.
- Select a suitable position and apply online.
- Create an applicant profile and upload documents.
- Depending on the position, interviews, assessments, or further selection steps will follow.
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What career opportunities does Bosch offer?
Bosch offers career opportunities for pupils, students, graduates, professionals, and executives. Depending on experience and goals, entry options such as internships, working student positions, trainee programs, or positions for experienced specialists and managers are available.
Career paths at Bosch are designed for different life stages and professional backgrounds. Bosch describes its entry opportunities as allowing for both professional development within one's own area of expertise and transitions into new tasks, locations, or international contexts. Thus, Bosch supports not only classic specialist and management careers but also individual development paths in agile teams and interdisciplinary projects.
- Internships, working student positions, and final theses for students.
- Direct entry and development programs for graduates.
- Specialist and management careers for experienced professionals.
- Development opportunities across functional areas, locations, and countries.
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At which locations can I work for Bosch?
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How does Bosch promote diversity, equity, and inclusion?
People from 150 nations work together at Bosch. They develop software, build machines, conduct research, organize supply chains, or work with customers worldwide. What connects them: different perspectives and the joint work on solutions.
Diversity is not only reflected in numbers, but above all in daily interaction: in different life paths, ways of thinking, and talents. When people with different backgrounds work together, new impulses and better ideas emerge. That is why Bosch is committed to a work environment worldwide where everyone can unfold their potential and feel they belong. A corporate culture with a focus on diversity, equal opportunity, and inclusion is the basis for innovation, collaboration, and long-term success.
We set ourselves ambitious goals, such as increasing the proportion of women in management positions to over 20%. Our zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discrimination forms the basis for a work environment based on equal opportunity and respect.
This stance is underpinned by concrete measures and structures throughout the company. Managers are trained to exemplify an inclusive mindset, while the application process and the design of workplaces are consistently geared towards accessibility. This is how we ensure that all talents feel welcome from the very beginning and can unfold their full potential.
Key initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion include:
- Active associate networks: Platforms such as “women@bosch” and “b:proud - LGBT*IQ + allies at Bosch” promote exchange and visibility.
- Inclusive leadership development: Mandatory training on “Unconscious Bias” for all managers.
- Internal events such as the “Diversity Days.”
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What benefits does Bosch offer as an employer?
General benefits include competitive salaries with performance bonuses, retirement and pension plans, professional development and training opportunities, flexible working models, health initiatives, mobility support such as job tickets or bicycle leasing, support for families and parents, and local additional services such as canteens, fitness studios, or on-site childcare. The offerings may vary depending on the location — you can find more details in the respective job advertisements and on the country-specific career pages.
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What further training opportunities are there at Bosch?
Learning is an integral part of our corporate culture, which is why we offer you comprehensive support for your personal and professional development – regardless of your role or contract type. Our wide range of free and Bosch-sponsored training extends from certified educational programs and smart digital learning offers to networking formats and coaching. Thanks to free licenses for online courses from renowned educational institutions, integrated learning formats, and innovative tools, you can learn flexibly anytime and anywhere. If required, we also offer financial support for formal training to secure future-relevant competencies for everyone.
Sustainability and responsibility
How does Bosch contribute to climate action?
Bosch supports the United Nations Climate Change Agreement adopted in Paris in 2015 and the goal formulated therein to limit global warming to as close to 1.5 degrees Celsius as possible. This ambition also shapes our climate targets, which have been confirmed by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for the 1.5-degree pathway. Bosch has thus backed its entire value chain with science-based climate targets. In 2025, our climate action activities were rated "A" by CDP for the second time in a row.
Reduction of Scope 1 & 2 CO₂ emissions by 85% by 2030 (baseline year 2018)
Bosch aims to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions by 85% by 2030 (baseline year 2018). In 2025, Bosch emitted approximately 554,900 metric tons of CO₂. This corresponds to a reduction of around 83% compared to the baseline year 2018.
With its more than 470 locations worldwide, the Bosch Group has been carbon neutral overall (scopes 1 & 2) since 2020. To achieve carbon neutrality, we employ four levers: improving energy efficiency, generating our own energy from renewable sources (new clean power), purchasing electricity from renewable sources (green electricity), and — as a last resort — offsetting residual CO₂ emissions with carbon credits. In 2025, residual emissions of around 554,900 metric tons of CO₂ were offset by carbon credits.
Reduction of Scope 3 CO₂ emissions by 30% by 2030 (baseline year 2018)
Compared to the base year 2018, we aim to reduce our Scope 3 emissions by 30% in absolute terms by 2030. Since 2018, our Scope 3 emissions have been reduced by around 34% to 311 million metric tons of CO₂ in 2025.
Scope 1, 2, and 3 are used in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard. We have considered the impacts of both CO₂ and other greenhouse gases and climate-relevant substances, where relevant. To make the climate impact of the various greenhouse gases and climate-relevant substances comparable, it is presented in CO₂ equivalents. For better readability, we use CO₂ synonymously with CO₂ equivalents.
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What is the Robert Bosch Stiftung?
The Robert Bosch Stiftung is one of the largest charitable foundations in Europe and holds approximately 94% of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH.
It is financed by the dividends from this holding and, in line with the legacy of the founder Robert Bosch, implements charitable projects in the areas of health, education, and global issues.
This structure, which dates back to Robert Bosch's will, ensures the entrepreneurial independence of Robert Bosch GmbH. The voting rights of the shares are held by the Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, so that the foundation, as a shareholder, is not entrepreneurially active but concentrates on its charitable work. Since its foundation in 1964, it has spent over 2.5 billion euros on its funding work.
A focus is on its own institutions such as the Bosch Health Campus in Stuttgart, which combines treatment, research, and education.
The foundation supports projects that address societal challenges, particularly in the following core areas:
- Health : Strengthening a sustainable healthcare system that focuses on people.
- Education : Promoting an equitable, high-performing education system that is geared towards the well-being of children and young people.
- Global Issues : Addressing topics such as peace, inequality, climate change, democracy, and migration.
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Since when has Bosch been climate-neutral? and how did Bosch achieve climate neutrality?
With its more than 470 locations worldwide, the Bosch Group has been carbon neutral overall (scopes 1 & 2) since 2020. To achieve carbon neutrality, we employ four levers:
- improving energy efficiency,
- generating our own energy from renewable sources (New Clean Power),
- purchasing electricity from renewable sources (green electricity), and — as a last resort —
- offsetting residual CO₂ emissions with carbon credits.
In 2025, residual emissions of around 554,900 metric tons of CO₂ were offset by carbon credits.
Scope 1, 2, and 3 are used in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard.
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How does Bosch pursue the goal of climate neutrality at its own locations and in its supply chain?
Bosch supports the United Nations Climate Change Agreement adopted in Paris in 2015 and the goal formulated therein to limit global warming to as close to 1.5 degrees Celsius as possible. This ambition also shapes our climate targets, which have been confirmed by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for the 1.5-degree path. Bosch has thus backed its entire value chain with science-based climate targets. In 2025, our climate action activities were rated "A" by CDP for the second time in a row.
Reduction of Scope 1 & 2 CO₂ emissions by 85% by 2030 (baseline year 2018)
Bosch aims to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions by 85% by 2030 (baseline year 2018). In 2025, Bosch emitted approximately 554,900 metric tons of CO₂. This corresponds to a reduction of around 83% compared to the base year 2018.
With its more than 470 locations worldwide, the Bosch Group has been carbon neutral overall (scopes 1 & 2) since 2020. To achieve carbon neutrality, we employ four levers: improving energy efficiency, generating our own energy from renewable sources (new clean power), purchasing electricity from renewable sources (green electricity), and — as a last resort — offsetting residual CO₂ emissions with carbon credits. In 2025, residual emissions of around 554,900 metric tons of CO₂ were offset by carbon credits.
Reduction of Scope 3 CO₂ emissions by 30% by 2030 (baseline year 2018)
Compared to the base year 2018, we aim to reduce our Scope 3 emissions by 30% in absolute terms by 2030. Since 2018, our Scope 3 emissions have been reduced by around 34% to 311 million metric tons of CO₂ in 2025.
We are concentrating on the categories that account for around 98% of our Scope 3 emissions. Upstream emissions in the Bosch value chain mainly concern purchased goods and services as well as logistics. The downstream emissions mainly arise from the use of our products.
- To reduce upstream CO₂ emissions in in purchasing, we drew up a steering concept that includes two instruments: General target agreements with suppliers to reduce their CO₂ emissions, preferably in combination with a specific SBTi commitment.
- Specific agreements for focus materials such as steel, aluminum, copper, and plastics as these materials are responsible for a significant portion of CO₂ emissions in the supply chain.
In logistics, we primarily want to reduce CO₂ emissions from freight transport. We have various instruments at our disposal for this:
- the optimization of freight,
- the reduction of air transport, and
- the improvement of packaging design to require less packaging material, storage space, and transport capacity.
Around 90% of Scope 3 emissions arise in the product use phase. We currently see the greatest potential for CO₂ savings in the business sectors whose products have a relevant energy demand, i.e., primarily in mobility, thermotechnology, industrial drive and control technology, and home appliances. Three approaches are paramount here:
- the further increase in energy efficiency,
- market transformation and portfolio optimization, and
- the transformation of the energy sector through the use of green electricity, hydrogen, and biogas.
The central body for target management in climate action is the semi-annually convening Corporate Sustainability Board. It makes decisions on the implementation of the climate action strategy (Scope 1, 2, 3) and monitors the implementation of the adopted action plans. The development of CO₂ emissions is presented transparently each year in the Bosch Sustainability Report. This allows customers, partners, and the public to see how Bosch is achieving its climate goals.
Scope 1, 2, and 3 are used in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard. We have considered the impacts of both CO₂ and other greenhouse gases and climate-relevant substances, where relevant. To make the climate impact of the various greenhouse gases and climate-relevant substances comparable, it is presented in CO₂ equivalents. For better readability, we use CO₂ synonymously with CO₂ equivalents.
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What is Bosch’s sustainability strategy?
At Bosch, we understand sustainability as the balance between the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of our business activities as part of responsible corporate governance.
We have summarized the focal points of our sustainability management in the "New Dimensions" target vision. It describes seven topic areas that set the framework for our activities in the coming years:
- Climate action: It is Bosch’s ambition to be a climate action pioneer – advancing the expansion of renewables and striving continuously for energy efficiency.
- Water: For Bosch, water is a resource to be treated sparingly. Regions in which water is scarce are a special concern.
- Circular economy: Bosch is reducing its ecological footprint and striving to create social benefit. In this endeavor, Bosch takes its lead from the circular economy principle.
- Associates: Attractive working conditions qualify Bosch as an employer of choice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are key to long term success in business.
- Human rights: Bosch takes on responsibility and is sensitive to human rights being respected – along the entire value chain.
- Health: Bosch contributes to people's health – with innovative products and services as well as by avoiding harm to people and the environment in its own production process.
- Corporate governance: Compliance with the principle of legality as well as responsible and fair business practices are part of the Bosch values and a top priority for our company.
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Contact and Investor Relations
How do I contact Bosch as an end consumer?
To help us assist you in the best possible way, please select the contact options appropriate for your location. The recommended way is to select your country on our central contact page. There you will find the direct service hotlines and online portals for your specific product area, such as home appliances or power tools.
Find support for your location
Use this contact form for general, non-product-related questions about the Bosch company.
Here you will find an overview of other contact points such as the press or investor relations department.
How do I contact Bosch as a business partner?
For business partners, especially suppliers and service providers, the central online portal for the supply chain is the primary point of contact. All relevant information, guidelines, contact details, and specific applications can be found bundled here. https://www.bosch.com/company/supply-chain/information-for-business-partners/
Bosch monitors the market and approaches potential partners based on needs. Nevertheless, particularly competitive products and services can be reported to us via the Bosch Service Center with a clear indication of the respective material field.
Where can I find the current Bosch Annual Report?
The latest Bosch annual report can be found here. You can view and download previous editions of the Bosch annual report directly at https://www.bosch.com/company/investor-relations/#publications.