Compliance with regulatory requirements When it comes to chemicals, some of which are also classed as hazardous substances, proper use is a prerequisite for the safety of people and the environment. This is why we provide our customers with extensive information about the safe use of our products. Numerous regulations are intended to ensure that chemicals pose no danger to humans or the environment. Compliance with these regulatory requirements is an important part of our work. They pertain to the production, handling, import, marketing, recycling, and disposal of chemicals. With our Group-wide “Product Safety Chemicals” policy, we have established global [...]

Our products have to be safe – as long as used properly they should not pose a danger to patients, customers or the environment. We therefore examine product safety across the entire life cycle and continuously take steps to make improvements. We make our products safer to use by providing patients and customers with extensive informational material that partly goes beyond the statutory requirements.Read more about the safety of our drugs. Read more about the safety of our chemical products.

Our pharmaceutical pricing approach helps us recover research, development, manufacturing, regulatory, distribution, and other costs incurred by the company in bringing its products to market, in order to ensure a sustainable supply of products for future generations of patients. This process enables us to continue investing in the discovery and development of new medicines. Recognizing the importance of affordable access to medicines in developing countries, we adapt pricing through flexible, differentiated pricing and product donations. Pricing Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany reviews its pricing on a regular basis to ensure that our products are competitive and [...]

In everything we do, our number one priority is our patients' safety. Before an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is used in humans, we conduct extensive pre-clinical trials that test for aspects such as efficacy and toxicity. After this, the API is tested in humans within the scope of clinical trials that extensively investigate the API's efficacy and adverse effects. The trial results are then used to assess the drug's risk-benefit ratio, weighing the benefits of the treatment against its risks. In the case of severe or even life-threatening diseases that have no other treatment option, a higher risk of adverse effects can be more acceptable than for less [...]

Packaging plays an important role for our products in two ways. For one, it protects our products from external influences and ensures that they reach the customer undamaged. Secondly, packaging guarantees that the environment will not be negatively impacted by substances leaking out. The packaging has to remain safe throughout the product's entire life cycle – during transport, storage, usage, and disposal. The development of suitable packaging therefore constitutes part of our product development process and contributes to product safety. One example is our Safebreak bottles, which are coated in plastic to prevent chemicals from leaking out if the glass breaks. [...]

Plant and process safety has high priority at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Safety system failures can lead to the release of chemicals, which can in turn impact people and the environment as well as result in financial damage, such as from production stoppages. The function Environment Health Safety Security Quality (EQ), in charge of environmental protection, are the experts in plant and process safety guidelines as well as all related topics. At the individual Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany sites worldwide, local EHS managers have been appointed to handle issues pertaining to plant and process safety. We apply the same uniform standard to plant and process [...]

XLS Download UNGC GRI indicator Comments Reference Status 7, 8, 9 Management approach Environmental management, Sustainable products, Transport safety Aspect: Materials 8 EN1 Materials used Where possible and appropriate, as for example in the case of packaging, we use recycled materials. Overall, the possibilities for using recycled materials in our portfolio are limited. Since this indicator is not applicable to Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, we do not record Group-wide data on this. Resource consumption, Packaging 8,9 EN2 Percentage of materials used that are recycled input materials Where possible and appropriate, as for example in the case of packaging, we [...]

For the storage and transport of our goods, we adhere to strict safety guidelines in order to prevent risks to people and the environment. In order to safely store substances, we have implemented global safety concepts for all our warehouses worldwide. We have based these concepts on the recommendations of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), which include the minimization of storage risks through segregated storage, the protection of the environment through retention capacity in the event of leaks and for extinguishing water, automatic extinguishing units adapted to the products and materials being stored, occupational safety measures, as well as [...]

[...] for company environmental management EHS standards implemented and updated (e.g. for process and plant safety, storage and transport, water protection, and waste management) Product safety measures (e.g. REACH, GHS, Global Product Strategy) Environmental management, Process and plant safety, Storage and transport, Water protection, Waste management, Product safety Principle 8: Promote greater environmental responsibility EN1-30, SO5, PR3-4 EHS standards implemented and updated (e.g. for process and plant safety, storage and transport, water protection, and waste management) Initiation of EDISON climate protection program Energy checks conducted at sites Product [...]

Executive Board Bernd Reckmann Local operating units Group Governance and Service Unit Environment, Health, Safety, Security, Quality Competencies in local sites Wastewater treatment Waste management Environmental analysis Plant safety Occupational health and safety Fire protection/risk prevention Approval procedures Develop and maintain Group EQ strategy Performance of environmental and satety audits Compliance audits to review adherence to standards Implementation of EQ management systems EQ improvement programs Consulting for investments, process development and acquisitions Conducting training programs Our responsibility to protect the environment is derived [...]

Our success and our future are founded on innovative products that benefit people and help improve quality of life. Our products are highly trusted worldwide – whether our innovative medicines of chemical or biological origin, our over-the-counter products, our liquid crystals for LC displays, our pigments for the coatings, plastics and printing industries, products for the cosmetics industry, or customer-oriented lab solutions for the life science industry. Responsibility for our products will always be at the core of our corporate responsibility. Here, we are driven by our ethical standards as well as our high expectations for our products in terms of safety [...]

[...] Care program both aim to continually improve performance by the chemical industry with regard to product safety, environmental protection, health, plant safety, and security. Responsible Care® focuses on voluntary cooperation with government bodies and other stakeholders that goes far beyond complying with statutory regulations. All of our Responsible Care® activities are founded on internal guidelines such as the "Corporate EHS Policy" and our EHS, Security and Quality Manual. In implementing the Responsible Care Global Charter, we are currently focusing in particular on the topics of product safety, environmental protection and occupational safety. Our [...]

[...] the framework for principles, strategies and organizational structures for environment, health and safety at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany; our Animal Welfare Policy, which describes the treatment of laboratory animals throughout the company; and our guidelines for stem cell and fertility research, which define the ethical framework for our research and development departments. In addition, we have numerous other division-specific policies, such as the Safety Policy for chemical products, with which we have established global processes for defining, steering and implementing product safety as well as the corresponding management structures. Our standards specify [...]

Strategy and management Products Suppliers Employees Environment Society Strategy and management XLS Download Goals: CR strategy and management Strategic goal Action By? Status in 2011 and 2012 Status Improve management of CR topics Establish a CR Committee End of 2011 The CR Committee was founded in 2011. It convened four times in 2011 and 2012. Legend: Achieved In progress Not achieved New goal Products XLS Download Goals: Product safety Strategic goal Action By? Status in 2011 and 2012 Status Establish a globally uniform hazard and risk communication system for all relevant Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany chemicals in the supply chain, incorporating the [...]

Mission Statement and Values Corporate Responsibility UN Global Compact, Responsible Care, Social Charter, Code of Conduct Products Environment People Our products serve people’s current and future needs, and many of them contribute to environmental protection. Safety and ethical aspects matter just as much as business success. In the manufacture of our products, we seek to impact the environment as little as possible. Safety, environmental protection and quality management are absolutely essential to this goal. We strengthen our company's ability to act by recruiting, developing and motivating the most suitable employees. We want to help society function better [...]

A crucial component of our business activities is the responsible marketing of our products in accordance with regulations. In our Pharmaceuticals business, the requirements for marketing are very stringent, as they are for all interactions in the health care industry. Our number-one goal is for patients to receive effective treatment. For this to happen, all health care industry players must have continuous access to the relevant information, patients must have access to the medicines they need, and the medicines must be correctly prescribed and utilized. In order to achieve this, we adhere to strict ethical standards for the marketing of our products. These [...]

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany utilizes genetically modified organisms in research and development. Since the 1980s, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has been manufacturing biotech products that are produced using genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Without this technology, the major medical advances of the last several years would not have been possible. Our major research centers for medical biotechnology are located in Darmstadt (Germany), Boston (United States), Beijing (China), and Tokyo (Japan). Important production sites for this are Aubonne and Corsier-sur-Vevey in Switzerland. In 2012, we completed the expansion of our site in Corsier-sur-Vevey. Now one [...]

[...] are implemented by paying them bonuses based on the cost savings or the contribution to occupational safety, environmental protection and quality improvement. Our employees submitted 4,111 suggestions in 2011 and 3,128 in 2012 for improvement. These led to savings amounting to € 1.9 million in 2011 and € 2.0 million in 2012. For this, they received bonuses totaling € 1.1 million in 2011 and € 0.8 million in 2012. Around 70% of the suggestions for improvement related to production areas; the remaining 30% comprised suggestions pertaining to analysis, technology and logistics. The suggestions helped significantly in many instances to optimize production [...]

Chemical and pharmaceutical companies are legally required to perform animal tests when developing new drugs; this is also required for the product safety of biological preparations as well as for chemicals in connection with the REACH regulation. Animal testing provides crucial information on product efficacy and safety. Therefore, international law requires it to be performed prior to testing the effect of new drugs in humans, or prior to marketing chemicals on a large scale. Animal testing may only be conducted if there are no recognized alternative methods available; otherwise, the alternative methods must be utilized. Animal testing is, however, still [...]

[...] that resources such as energy, water and raw materials are utilized as efficiently as possible. Process safety is a key prerequisite here. Through the EDISON program, we implement Group-wide measures to achieve our climate protection goals. Climate protection We strive for operational efficiency and therefore use raw materials, energy and water economically. Resource consumption Water is used in production primarily for cooling, for process water, or for exhaust air purification. Water protection The prevention and proper disposal of waste is an important task. Waste management We have defined high standards for plant and process safety worldwide. Process safety [...]

[...] Supplier Management For our business activities we need raw materials, packaging materials, technical products, components and services; in 2012, we purchased all these commodities from more than 50,000 suppliers in over 100 countries worldwide. Of the goods and services (including R&D services) procured in 2012, totaling approximately € 4 billion, we purchased 55% from suppliers based in EU countries and 33% from suppliers in OECD countries outside the EU. Around 12% came from suppliers in non-OECD countries outside the EU. Procurement volume 2012 in % Our basic expectations for suppliers and service partners include their compliance with fundamental [...]

For Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, waste management is a key aspect of its corporate environmental protection activities. This includes measures to prevent and reduce waste, as well as recycling when possible and disposing of waste properly. Proper waste handling with regard to occupational safety and storage on site is also of key importance. During the process development phase, we pay particular attention to making the processes efficient, to minimizing the resulting waste, and to ensuring that the materials utilized pose as little danger to people and the environment as possible. We also work to optimize existing production processes. Efficient resource use is [...]

[...] and vocational training at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. In the context of expanding our biotech production facilities in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland, discussions were started with NGOs and the local authorities to ensure the greatest possible transparency during the entire planning, construction and completion stages. For construction, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany committed to implementing high environmental and safety standards going beyond the statutory requirements. The annual forum was also continued after the construction project was completed. It provides an opportunity for regular discussions and reviews of the implementation of agreed measures and [...]

At Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, water is used in production primarily for cooling, as process water, or for exhaust air purification. After being used, the water may contain eutrophicating substances, heavy metals, or active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The treatment of this wastewater, and thus the prevention of environmental pollution, is a fundamental part of our corporate environmental protection measures worldwide. The function Environment Health Safety Security Quality (EQ), which is in charge of environmental protection, bears overall responsibility for water protection. At the individual Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany sites worldwide, the local EHS [...]