As part of the sustainability strategy of Merck, the company has established The Merck Sustainability Advisory Panel (MSAP), which is made of six independent international experts who will advise the company on sustainability issues.
Merck has established an external expert committee for sustainability, The Merck Sustainability Advisory Panel (MSAP). The new committee consists of six independent international experts on sustainability-related topics who will advise Merck on selected issues and critically assess its sustainability performance as well as the company’s planned activities.
The experts will also apply their knowledge to help address societal and political challenges and developments that could impact the businesses of Merck, covering a wide range of topics: from shaping and implementing ideas for environmental and climate protection to entrepreneurial sustainability principles, future-oriented business and international trade, sustainable leadership, and sustainability transformation as well as ESG key figures and sustainable finance.
“As a science and technology company, we want to find answers to the most pressing challenges of our time. That’s why we have embedded sustainability as a key element of our corporate strategy and set ourselves ambitious goals. The internationally renowned experts of the Merck Sustainability Advisory Panel will support us in achieving these goals,” said Herwig Buchholz, Head of Group Corporate Sustainability, who chairs the MSAP for Merck.
The MSAP supplements the existing expert panels on bioethics and digital ethics.
The members of The Merck Sustainability Advisory Panel
- Glynda Bathan-Baterina (Philippines): Deputy Executive Director of Clean Air Asia
- Michael Braungart (Germany): Founder and CEO of Braungart EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung, Professor at Leuphana University Lüneburg
- Todd Cort (United States): Faculty Co-Director of both the Center for Business and Environment (CBEY) and the Initiative on Sustainable Finance (YISF) of the Yale School of Management
- Maja Göpel (Germany): Expert for sustainability policies and transformation research, Honorary Professor at Leuphana University Lüneburg
- Ioannis Ioannou (United Kingdom): Associate Professor for strategy and entrepreneurship at the London Business School
- Huiyao (Henry) Wang (China): Founder and President of Center for China and Globalization (CCG)
Merck’s sustainability strategy
Merck presented its sustainability strategy in November 2020, which aims at pursuing specific goals in the areas of science and technology and value chains as well as climate change and the environment:
- Goal 1: In 2030, Merck will achieve human progress for more than one billion people through sustainable science and technology.
- Goal 2: By 2030, the company will integrate sustainability into all its value chains.
- Goal 3: By 2040, Merck will achieve climate neutrality and reduce its resource consumption.
Merck also wants to make a clearly recognizable contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Over the past several months, the company has made clear progress in the implementation. For example, the most recent Annual General Meeting agreed to a resolution to integrate sustainability aspects into the compensation system of the Executive Board. The company is working to systematically incorporate sustainability into all company processes.