Published 04-01-25
Submitted by MilliporeSigma
Giving back to society is more than just a commitment at MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany—it’s a core part of the company’s culture. In 2024, MilliporeSigma’s employee volunteer program, SPARK™, empowered employees to make a meaningful impact in communities worldwide. Through both skills-based and general volunteer efforts, more than 4,100 employees across 29 countries dedicated over 29,900 hours to sparking curiosity in more than 108,700 students.
As the demand for experts in the rapidly expanding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields continues to rise, the Curiosity Labs™ program plays a vital role in bridging this gap. In 2024, the program introduced two new lessons (Green Chemistry and Designing Dyes) to a record 15,297 students with the support of 792 dedicated volunteers. With 10 lessons in the program library, the company plans to announce an additional lesson for 2025 in April.
In addition to supporting STEM education, SPARK™ encourages employees to engage in other impactful initiatives that strengthen their local communities. One of the most successful efforts in 2024 was the annual Global Food Drive, where employees from 61 sites across 21 countries united to fight food insecurity. Through this initiative, employees helped provide 400,979 meals to individuals and families in need—demonstrating how small acts of service can create a lasting difference.
To learn more about SPARK™ and other employee volunteering programs from MilliporeSigma, visit the company’s sustainability & social business innovation page.
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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