Corporate Responsibility Audited

More information on this topic can be found in our 2012 Corporate Responsibility Report¹.

Strategy and management

Our corporate responsibility (CR) activities are steered by our Group-wide CR Committee, which consists of representatives from Merck’s divisions, as well as from relevant Group functions. Our ambition is to be a global company that creates added value for consumers, our market partners and the community while also helping them lead better lives. We endeavor to achieve positive recognition for Merck in society and have an obligation to operate safely as well as respect the environment.

Mankind is confronted with major global issues, such as the increasing demand for affordable, renewable energy, a growing need for access to health – especially in developing health care systems – and the prevention of greenhouse gas emissions. We believe that we can do our part to resolve these global challenges through our innovative pharmaceutical, chemical and life science products, as well as through responsible corporate governance; in this way, we can prepare ourselves for the future while increasing Merck’s acceptance in society.

Merck’s CR engagement is focused on three spheres of activity:

• People: We strengthen our company’s ability to act by recruiting, developing and motivating the most suitable employees. We want to help society function better and aim to set the example for ethical conduct.
• Products: 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.
• Environment: 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.

Merck supports relevant initiatives concerning responsible corporate governance. We participate in the United Nations Global Compact and are committed to complying with the compact’s principles regarding human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and anti-corruption. Another way in which we live our corporate responsibility is our commitment to follow the guidelines of the Responsible Care Global Charter, an initiative of the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA). This charter aims to continuously improve the products and services of the chemical industry in terms of environmental protection, health, plant safety, and security.

In addition, we are involved in the Chemie³ initiative, a collaboration between the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), the German Employers’ Federation of the Chemical Industry (BAVC), and the German Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IGBCE). This initiative aims to make sustainability a core part of the chemical industry’s guiding principles and seeks to jointly drive the sector’s position within the German economy as a key contributor to sustainable development.

To Merck, corporate responsibility does not merely mean actively taking action, but also actively listening. The dialogue with the various stakeholder groups is therefore highly important to us. These stakeholders include our employees, our business associates, the Merck family, investors, regulatory agencies, and associations. We engage in a continuous exchange with our stakeholders in order to transparently demonstrate how we live the Merck Values.

This engagement has earned Merck a variety of recognition, not the least of which was our listing on the FTSE4Good Index once more in 2013. To be included in this leading international sustainability index, a company has to demonstrate socially conscientious, ecological and ethical conduct.

¹ Merck applies the G3.1 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative