Skip to Content
Merck
HomeSustainability & Social ResponsibilityGreener Products & Solutions

Greener Products & Solutions

With a portfolio of more than 300,000 products that support 1 million customers, how we make, distribute, and enable the use and disposal of those products can have a large and meaningful impact on the environment. We are committed to working with customers, employees, and suppliers to develop new and innovative processes and products that contribute toward a healthier ecosystem and safer world.

We harness the collective expertise, passion, and energy of employees to minimize any environmental footprint and positively impact communities around the world. We align our efforts with our strengths in research, innovation, and collaboration with the global scientific community. Find out below how our framework, initiatives, and projects lead to smaller footprints. 

Design for Sustainability (DfS

Design for Sustainability

In 2014, we created Design for Sustainability (DfS) ā€” our gold-standard design approach that keeps sustainability at the forefront of each stage of the product life cycle as we develop, engineer, and re-engineer products to minimize environmental and health impact, and simultaneously improve product performance.

12 Principles of Green Chemistry

12 Principles of Green Chemistry

Our re-engineering approach is guided by the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, developed by Paul T. Anastas and John C. Warner in 1991. These signposts guide us toward uncovering innovative solutions to big questions ā€” like how to make chemicals, processes, or products greener, thereby reducing environmental or human health risks and increasing energy efficiency.

DOZNā„¢

DOZNā„¢ Tool

An industry first, our DOZNā„¢ tool is a proprietary Quantitative Green Chemistry Evaluator that enables us to consistently evaluate different products and processes against the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, using readily available data and generally accepted industry practices. 

Greener Alternative Products

Greener Alternative Products

We offer customers thousands of  Greener Alternatives to help reduce the environmental impact of their work while ensuring their results are not compromised. These greener alternative products, developed by leveraging our strengths in innovation and sustainability, are identified with a small green icon and fall into four categories

Some examples of Greener Alternative Products are:
Ī²-Amylase (Re-engineered Product)
ZooMAbĀ® Antibodies (12 Principles Aligned Products)
Enzymes for Alternative Energy Research (Enabling Products)
StericupĀ® E and SteritopĀ® E Sterile Filters (DfS Developed Products)

Distribution

Distribution

With a catalog of more than 300,000 products, our Life Science business delivers many of the most highly-respected brands in the industry, such as Sigma-AldrichĀ® Brand, MilliporeĀ® Portfolio, SAFCĀ® Solutions, BioRelianceĀ® Brand, SupelcoĀ® Analytical Products, and Milli-QĀ® Lab Water Solutions. These products are manufactured at 60 sites and distributed worldwide through more than 100 distribution centers.

Packaging

Packaging

Product packaging is one of the most visible and tangible environmental impacts for our customers ā€” which is why it is top of mind for us. We work to improve packaging quality while striving to reduce waste and the time, effort, and costs associated with handling and disposing of it. Packaging is a key focus of our process ā€” with our goal to deliver improvements without compromising quality or safety. Our SMASH Packaging Plan is our strategy to drive improvement in the sustainability of our packaging. Through this initiative, we are setting new standards and goals to SHRINK, SECURE, SWITCH and SAVE packaging while transparently reporting progress.

Recycling

Plastic Recycling Programs

Through engagement and collaboration with our customers, we're developing circular recycling solutions to reduce the amount of plastic in the value chain and offer cost-effective re-processing of the plastic waste back into products and packaging within our supply chain. Find out more at the Recycling Hub.

Sign In To Continue

To continue reading please sign in or create an account.

Don't Have An Account?