Science As a Force for Good
April 15, 2020 - Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has published its eleventh Corporate Responsibility Report, covering the year 2019. As the report focuses on 2019, it does not contain information about the company’s approach to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This information can be found on our website and will be included in the 2020 report.
We are curious minds dedicated to human progress. Everything we do is fueled by a belief in science and technology as a force for good – a belief that has driven our work since 1668 and will continue to inspire us to find more sustainable ways to live. In 2019, we moved forward with the realignment of our CR strategy, building on our ambition to be a responsible corporate citizen, ensuring our social license to operate and maintaining our competitive edge. We are increasingly pursuing a shared value approach and are working to make the value we create for the company and for society measurable. Our strategic spheres of activity are “Global Health”, “Sustainable Solutions” and “Broad Minds”:
- Global Health: We develop and manufacture medicines and smart devices that offer patients a broad array of healthcare solutions. Health awareness plays a key role in our approach to improving access to these healthcare solutions. For this reason, we regularly conduct disease awareness campaigns worldwide, drawing on a wealth of expertise from our businesses. Additionally, we collaborate with a range of partners to reach out to people in low- and middle-income countries. For example, we are engaged in the fight against schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection. In 2019, we donated approximately 233 million tablets against schistosomiasis. Through our Global Health Institute, we are developing diagnostics, therapies and preventive solutions to address malaria as well as schistosomiasis and other neglected tropical diseases.
- Sustainable Solutions: We are constantly working to improve the sustainability footprint of our products to include their use phase as well. These efforts also help our customers achieve their own sustainability goals. For example, with our Design for Sustainability program in the Life Science business sector, we have developed a systematic approach for product development. This approach allows us to review the sustainability of products during the development process. The objective: accounting better for environmental impacts and improving our communication of sustainability attributes to our customers. More than 830 of our Life Science products already align with principles of Green Chemistry.
- Broad Minds: We seek to spark a passion for science in the next generation. In 2019, we spent € 6 million on educational projects worldwide. Throughout 2019, over 2,300 of our employees volunteered more than 19,400 hours via our overall SPARK Global Volunteer Program, which also includes the Curiosity Cube™ that reached over 66,500 students worldwide. Because music and literature inspire people, we also support a number of cultural initiatives worldwide.
We align our CR activities with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our 2019 CR Report illustrates the SDGs and targets we specifically support with our management practices and projects. In the magazine part of our report, we take a look into the future and highlight our vision for four challenging topics: “Personalized medicine”, “Schistosomiasis”, “Smart Antennas” and “SMASH Packaging”.
This report engages readers on an interactive level, using a variety of innovative digital formats such as clickable, animated graphics, expert statements and videos, quizzes and links between our stories and our Science Space.
We have prepared our Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report in accordance with the “Comprehensive” option under GRI Standards. With our 2019 CR Report, we meet the requirements for a combined separate non-financial report as stipulated by the German CSR Directive Implementation Act. The CR Report also documents the progress we have made in implementing the principles of the United Nations Global Compact (Communication on Progress).
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Judith Rahner:
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