Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Presents New Sustainability Strategy

• Integrating sustainability even more strongly into the corporate strategy
• The company is setting itself three clear goals in the areas of science & technology, value chain and climate & environment
• Contribution to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, presented its new sustainability strategy today in conjunction with the announcement of the results of the third quarter of 2020. The company is thus integrating sustainability more strongly as an essential component of its corporate strategy.

“At our company, scientific progress and responsible entrepreneurship have always gone hand in hand. We want to be economically successful and create value for society in all of our businesses without generating subsequent costs for society. As a global science and technology company, we can help address some of today’s greatest challenges, such as serious diseases and climate change,” explained Stefan Oschmann, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO.

With the sustainability strategy, the company is pursuing three specific goals, which are reflected in a total of seven focus areas. It is implementing numerous projects and initiatives in these focus areas today and will continue to do so in the future.

Goal 1: In 2030, the company will achieve human progress for more than one billion people through sustainable science and technology.

Focus areas:

• Sustainable innovations and technologies for the company’s customers
• Impact of the company’s technologies and products on health and well-being

Goal 2: By 2030, the company will integrate sustainability into all its value chains.

Focus areas:

• Sustainability culture and values
• Sustainable and transparent supply chain
• Securing the company’s social license to operate in all regions

Goal 3: By 2040, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, will achieve climate neutrality and reduce its resource consumption.

Focus areas:

• Climate change and emissions
• Water and resource intensity

By concentrating on these topics, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, wants to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. At the same time, the company is integrating the topic of sustainability into its business strategies and taking the goals of the sustainability strategy into account when making business decisions. Additionally, it is planning to link the variable pay of the Executive Board and senior management with progress made in achieving the company’s three sustainability goals.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, will report annually on the current implementation status of its sustainability strategy. The company is currently defining the corresponding performance indicators and testing the internally developed method for Impact Valuation, known as Sustainable Business Value. It published the concept of this method in the journal “Sustainability” in October 2020.

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More information about the sustainability strategy can be found on this website: www.emdgroup.com/sustainability. The general principles of the sustainability strategy of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, will also be presented during the teleconference for investors and analysts on November 12 at 2:00 p.m. CET.