MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is the recipient of the 2024 Sustainability Leadership Award in Business Intelligence Group’s (BIG) ninth annual Sustainability Awards program. This recognition acknowledges MilliporeSigma’s prioritization of sustainability as a core element of its business practices.

MilliporeSigma aims to embed sustainability in every aspect of its business, across its entire product life cycle, operations, and functions. To accomplish this, it uses a design-thinking approach, connecting tangible actions to business priorities. This results in industry-first innovations and re-engineering efforts that answer the needs of the global science community, while setting the pace for sustainability innovation in the industry.

The company operationalizes its sustainability approach through three cornerstone initiatives—which have helped it achieve a 37% reduction in Scope 1+2 emissions, on track for climate neutrality by 2040:

• The Design for Sustainability (DfS) framework, which prioritizes sustainability at every stage of a product's lifecycle. DfS has significantly contributed to the 51% increase in MilliporeSigma’s Greener Alternative Products portfolio since 2022, reaching 2,800-plus products.
• The proprietary SMASH packaging plan, introduced in 2019, which drives sustainability improvements in the company’s product packaging. In 2023, MilliporeSigma launched SMASH Packaging 2.0 to further maximize systematic and data-driven packaging sustainability improvements. The program avoids 400-plus metric tons of packaging annually.
• SHIFT, the company’s circular recycling strategy, which aims to neutralize the company’s plastic footprint in their products and packaging and developing recycling programs for customers. The SHIFT strategy has led to the recycling of 11,000-plus metric tons of biopharma waste to date through its pioneering Biopharma Recycling Program for single-use and disposable plastics.

Also, for a more sustainable life science industry, MilliporeSigma actively involves customers, suppliers, and partners in its sustainability journey. Notably, its multi-million-dollar, multi-year commitment to green chemistry education nonprofit Beyond Benign aims to help train the next generation of scientists in green chemistry and sustainability best practices. The expanded partnership has already engaged over 4,200 faculty members at 194 Green Chemistry Commitment signing institutions (a 28% increase from 2023) and reached more than one million students globally.

The BIG Sustainability Award judges were impressed with MilliporeSigma’s initiatives, stating the innovative programs “highlight substantial contributions to circular design, waste recycling and green chemistry education.”

To discover more about how MilliporeSigma is leading the way in advancing sustainability, visit the company’s Sustainability and Social Business Innovation webpage.

A complete list of 2024 BIG Sustainability Awards winners is available on the BIG website.

MilliporeSigma

MilliporeSigma

We holistically integrate sustainability throughout our own operations and across suppliers, reducing the impact of scientific research globally and exceeding customer expectations.

The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has more than 26,000 employees and more than 55 total manufacturing and testing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing and testing services. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics.  

Around 62,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2024, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 21.2 billion in 65 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare and EMD Electronics in electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. For more information about Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, visit www.emdgroup.com.

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