What drives us

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the optics and optoelectronics industries. As a company wholly owned by a foundation, ZEISS is rooted in and committed to responsibility in all its activities. As the pioneer of scientific optics, we continue to challenge the limits of human imagination. With our passion for excellence we create value for our customers and inspire the world to see in new ways.

The semiconductor industry, e-mobility providers, Nobel Prize winners, medical clinics and ophthalmologists, film makers and eye care practitioners – to name but a few – rely on ZEISS.
Its optics are needed to manufacture microchips, research infectious diseases, manage the quality of electric cars and windmills, provide the best possible treatment for brain and eye surgery or create award-winning films.

The company was founded in 1846 by Carl Zeiss, who anchored precision, a commitment to innovation and the creation of real value for customers and society. In 1889, Ernst Abbe established the Carl Zeiss Foundation in memory of his partner as the sole owner of ZEISS, until today the foundation is exclusively committed to promoting science and progress. As a pioneer of corporate responsibility ZEISS is following a clear path: To enable customers to achieve their goals with value-added solutions developed and manufactured in a responsible manner.

The foundation as owner is expecting sustainable contributions from ZEISS. The company's dividends are used by the foundation to fund scientific and research programs in areas essential to the future of humanity, from the aging society to the circular economy. At the same time, ZEISS is committed to ambitious sustainability goals – we already use 100% green energy and will be carbon neutral in all our activities by 2025. Specific programs for MINT education, public health care, nature and climate protection and social commitment are part of the global ZEISS sustainability strategy.

Today, around 46,500 employees globally in around 50 countries work hard to fulfill and exceed customer expectations. They generated annual revenue totalin of nearly 11 billion euros (FY 2023/24) in the four ZEISS segments Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology. Currently, 15 percent of revenues is invested in science and R&D. ZEISS believes that innovation and technology are the key to a sustainable future and solutions for global challenges.