Sustainability as obligation

Sustainability is the issue of our time, because the increasing and inefficient use of resources has knock-on effects including climate change, loss of biodiversity, pollution, poor health, and poverty. Since 2015, the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals have established the framework for securing sustainable development globally on an economic, social and ecological level. They are meant to help end world poverty for good, protect the planet and improve the lives of all people. Businesses, alongside governments and citizens, will have to lead the way towards a more equitable, sustainable future. That is why we at Merck are committed to helping achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our contribution needs to be not only noticeable for society but also measurable.

Therefore, Merck has set three sustainability goals of its own:

1.???Human progress: In 2030, we will achieve human progress for more than one billion people through sustainable science and technology. We provide our customers with sustainable innovations and technologies and contribute to improving the quality of life and health of humankind.

2.???Sustainability at all value chain stages: Also by 2030, we want to embed sustainability in all our value chains. Here, we’re focusing on sustainability and transparency in the supply chain and on ensuring social acceptance in all regions as well as on our sustainability culture and values.

3.???Smaller ecological footprint: At Merck, we've set ourselves the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2040 and further reducing our resource consumption. This includes minimizing process-related emissions, increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions when transporting our goods. However, we also want to reduce our footprint when it comes to the use of water and other resources. In doing so, we will implement measures that go beyond the legal requirements in the areas of particular relevance to the chemical industry, such as waste and wastewater.

Sustainability in the Electronics business sector

While demand is booming for our high-tech materials and solutions that are vital to our everyday lives, like smartphones, cars or any other device, hardly anyone knows that this comes at a cost: As the electronics industry grows, so will its carbon footprint. The more excited to see that sustainability is starting to be addressed at all parts of the supply chain.

And so do we: As all business sectors of Merck, also the Electronics sector contributes to the practical implementation of the overarching sustainability goals. This is a continuous process in which Electronics embeds the sustainability goals into all growth aspirations and objectives. By the end of 2025, the Electronics business sector will invest significantly more than € 3 billion in research and development as well as in the establishment of long-term capacities for advanced material solutions. These investments will focus on sustainable innovations, among other things.

Moreover, Electronics has defined strategic levers for each of the three overarching sustainability goals. In doing so, we continuously examine the core of our business activities as regards the requirements of our customers and their sustainability strategies. After all, our customers have clear expectations of our business and our products when it comes to sustainability. In addition, we've specified sustainability criteria for various areas, including research and development, which enable us to develop future products that meet our sustainability aspirations.

On the path towards a sustainable value chain, Electronics also intends to take on a proactive role and is therefore focusing primarily on establishing collaborations with partners to advance Merck further in the area of sustainability.

Moreover, Merck has decided to join the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi). In doing so, Merck has committed itself to taking specific measures to contribute to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and to limiting the global temperature increase due to the greenhouse effect to 1.5?°C. We have set ourselves the following goals: By 2030, we intend to lower our direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) greenhouse gas emissions by 50% compared with 2020. Moreover, we plan to lower our indirect emissions along our entire value chain (Scope 3) by 1,500 metric kilotons of CO2 equivalents (CO2eq) by 2030. In addition, we will continue and expand initiatives we already started several years ago to reduce wastewater and waste production. For example, we are currently carrying out an analysis of our production wastewater. Our aim: by 2030, we plan to reduce potentially harmful residues in our wastewater to below the no-effect threshold. This is a scientifically defined threshold below which no negative environmental impacts are expected.

Hand in hand

Merck has committed itself to growth and sustainability – and the same applies to the Electronics business sector. These goals can only be achieved by working hand in hand. We do everything we can to sustainably improve people’s lives with our materials and solutions on the one hand and to minimize our impact on the environment with the help of these products on the other hand. In the future, I will also report on the progress made along this journey here in my blog.