Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany,
As a global science and technology company, we spend every day searching for answers to the question: What kind of world do we want to live in? And we're seeking solutions that improve the lives of people across the globe.
We have thus been supporting the United Nations Global Compact and its principles since 2005, which cover human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and anti-corruption. We live these principles in our day-to-day work and intend to keep doing so in the future as well.
Taking responsibility is the bedrock of our business. Through our ideas and technologies, we are helping solve global issues in numerous areas. As a company about to celebrate its 350th anniversary, we know that business success can only be sustained if achieved responsibly.
In this report, you will find a selection of our CR activities from 2015. They are just as diverse and international as our company. Our efforts show that much can be achieved through good ideas and the courage to take responsibility.
To best leverage our corporate responsibility activities, we have defined three strategic spheres of activity: environment, health and culture. In each of these areas, we can contribute special expertise and skills.
In the chapter on culture, for instance, we describe the literary prizes we present to recognize writers and translators. Why does literature fit so well to a science and technology company such as Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany? As an innovative, research-driven company, we bring people together who ask questions and never stop pondering the answers. We depend on creative ideas – and on a society that is receptive to innovation. Literature can open doors because it not only builds bridges between cultures, but also inspires people, expands their minds and makes them more receptive to new ideas.
The chapter on our environmental activities spotlights our UB-FFS technology. This development for liquid crystal displays enables brilliant colors while consuming up to 30% less energy than conventional display technologies, which significantly boosts the battery life of smartphones and other portable devices. In recognition of this achievement, we have been honored with the German Innovation Award. We are the global market and technology leader in liquid crystals and are constantly working on new ideas such as UB-FFS. After all, innovation not only improves products, but also helps find answers to global issues such as energy conservation.
In the chapter on health, you can see how we're working to improve access to health for people around the world. In rural areas especially, millions of people lack adequate access to health information, medical care, and medicines. But we want to remedy this situation. We examine local needs and organize awareness campaigns, provide physicians with advanced training and manage mobile clinics. After all, we believe that everyone should have access to health, no matter where they live.
Our report shows how, again and again, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany exercises its corporate responsibility every day, how we're seeking answers to the question: what kind of world do we want to live in? We are working towards a world that's open to new concepts, in which ideas both improve our lives and reduce our impact on the environment - a world in which everyone has access to health. After all, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is taking responsibility, now and in the future.
Yours,
Karl-Ludwig Kley