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Merck is Safeguarding the Environment Through Green Chemistry

When a manufacturing process doesn’t meet our standards, we build an award-winning, planet-friendly one

Merck is Safeguarding the Environment Through Green Chemistry

When a manufacturing process doesn’t meet our standards, we build an award-winning, planet-friendly one

Published 07-26-23

Submitted by Merck & Co., Inc.

Two chemists, one observing another using a pipette.

Many of us are trying to go green, changing our behavior and lifestyles to reduce our impact on the environment. And our company is no different. Protecting the environment is a key part of our commitment to operating responsibly. We believe a healthy planet is essential to human and animal health, as well as to the sustainability of our business.

Going green can also enhance opportunities for product innovation and cost- and risk-reduction. And our efforts have been getting noticed. Members of our small molecule process research and development (SM PR&D) group have been honored recently for their achievements in developing groundbreaking green chemistry solutions.

“Our strategy is to provide innovative and transformative solutions — rather than incremental improvements to historical practices — to achieve our goals on sustainable manufacturing.”

- Kevin Maloney, Executive director, process chemistry, SM PR&D

Kevin Malone

2023 Peter J. Dunn Award for design of biocatalytic cascade 

Merck was honored for the design of a biocatalytic cascade, a novel process using natural substances including enzymes to build molecular complexity while drastically reducing hazardous waste.

“Enzymes are the action heroes of biology — and with a little training, they can be the superheroes for chemistry, too.”

- Stephanie Galanie, Director, protein engineering, enabling technologies PR&D

Stephanie Galanie

2022 Green Chemistry Award for the development of a sustainable manufacturing process

This award — given by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — recognized our company’s development of a green and sustainable manufacturing process for large quantities of medicine while preventing millions of pounds of waste per year.

“It was more critical than ever that we develop the most green and sustainable processes, as well as invent new reactions to realize the ultimate synthetic route from sustainable raw materials.”

- Patrick Fier, Principal scientist, process chemistry, SM PR&D

This marks our sixth consecutive Green Chemistry Challenge Award and ninth overall.

Patrick Fier

Learn more

Green chemistry is just one way we help support a healthy planet. Our commitment to environmental sustainability focuses on improving operational efficiency, reducing environmental risks in our supply chain and lowering the environmental impact of our products and packaging. Read more about our new goals to achieve carbon neutrality across our operations by 2025.

Learn more about Merck’s Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) approach by visiting merck.com/company-overview/esg

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Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc.

At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube and LinkedIn.

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