"Merck delivered a reasonable operating performance in the face of a difficult year-over-year comparison,” said Karl-Ludwig Kley, Chairman of the Executive Board of Merck. “During the first quarter, we kicked off our efficiency program and announced the first planned initiatives as part of this transformation. Our focus during 2012 will be to deliver a solid operational performance while bringing our cost structure more in line with our competitors and peers.”

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Without photosynthesis, plants could not live or grow. Light-absorbing pigments, the chlorophylls, help them convert sunlight into energy. Now mankind hopes to use this principle to generate electricity. Researchers at Merck are looking for ways to increase the efficiency of correspondingly designed solar cells in order to make them economically competitive.

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Using bulky refuse and everyday objects, the photographer Florian Schunck creates ephemeral sculptures that cast shadows resembling the silhouettes of classical depictions of saints. In the spring of 2012, these works of the series "Skias" (meaning "shadows" in ancient Greek) earned the 23-year-old artist the Merck Award during the Darmstadt Photography Days festival.

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Together with its customers, Merck contributes to environmental protection and sustainable business practices by taking back used products and packaging in a controlled way. These “retrologistics,” which play an important role for Merck at the international level, are being promoted in growing markets in particular.

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