Merck sees itself as part of the community, not only at its individual locations, but also at global level. Taking responsibility towards society is an integral part of our entrepreneurial approach. We believe that we can make an important contribution to society through our knowledge, our skills and our products.
Our social responsibility activities are primarily focused on those areas in which we have specific expertise stemming from our core businesses. We are thus engaged in health care projects and support education, specifically in the natural sciences. We provide disaster relief in emergency situations, especially in those regions in which we also do business.
To increase the effectiveness of our projects, we have consolidated our resources into three global lighthouse projects:
- The Merck Praziquantel Donation Program: We are partnering with the World Health Organization (WHO) to combat the worm disease schistosomiasis in school children in Africa (see also section Products).
- Global Pharma Health Fund: This is a charitable initiative funded by Merck to fight counterfeit medicines in developing countries and emerging markets (see also section Products).
- The Deutsche Philharmonie Merck, a cultural ambassador: With up to 80 professional musicians and a very diverse concert repertoire, this orchestra is an integral part of the cultural life in the vicinity of our Group headquarters in Darmstadt and also tours internationally.
In addition, our subsidiaries are engaged in local projects. We have defined a general set of criteria for selecting projects, and the decisions concerning specific local projects are made by our subsidiaries. In 2013, we spent a total of € 46.2 million on corporate social responsibility activities. Of the total monetary and non-monetary donations made by our subsidiaries in 2013, 63% went to Emerging Markets (Latin America and Asia, excluding Japan), 36% to Europe, as well as 1% to North America and the Rest of World region.
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