Discussion and information forumsDiscussion and information forums with the neighbors of large sites have been set up. One of the goals of our public planning forum in Darmstadt is to create transparency about company developments at the site. In 2009 and 2010, discussions focused on the dismantling of existing buildings, remediation measures and the development of open spaces and green areas. In the context of expanding our biotech production facilities in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland, discussions were held with NGOs and the local authorities to ensure the greatest possible transparency during the entire planning, construction and completion stages. For construction, Merck committed to implementing high environmental and safety standards extending beyond the legal requirements. The meetings, which will be held again in 2011, serve to provide an opportunity for regular discussions and reviews of the implementation of agreed measures. Because Merck presents the plans transparently and implements the agreed measures on schedule, trust was established, and the discussions were therefore very positive.
Stakeholder surveysWe survey our employees and customers regularly on how they view Merck as a company, also with regard to its corporate responsibility, and what expectations they have. In January 2010, all employees were asked for their feedback on Merck as an employer; 28,000 employees (representing 84% of the workforce at that time) participated in the
survey. When the employer brand was designed, a survey was conducted among more than 1,000 people (employees, candidates, recruiters). In August 2009, as part of a reputation study 583 stakeholders were surveyed on their perception of Merck Serono in general and its corporate responsibility. In addition, 19 carefully selected stakeholders were interviewed in July and August 2010 to determine relevant CR topics for Merck.
The Merck Millipore Sustainability Stakeholder Advisory GroupIn early 2010, Millipore commissioned the Sustainability Stakeholder Advisory Group (SSAG) as a forum for dialog with external stakeholders regarding its sustainability strategy. The objective was to evaluate Millipore’s past sustainability reporting and current reporting efforts to provide assurance and suggestions for improvement. Another important objective was to provide insight into the overall sustainability strategy and to strengthen relations with key company stakeholders.
The five-member SSAG is composed of representatives (including customers, NGOs and academia) from the worlds of business and science as well as civil society. The members have broad experience in sustainability reporting, mapping out the corporate strategic direction around sustainability, and addressing other ecological and social topics.
They identified sustainability topics of the greatest relevance for Millipore as well the major risks and opportunities facing the company. In addition, the SSAG developed concrete proposals to improve the sustainability report. Recommendations for the strategic direction were also made. For example, it was noted that while issues such as energy and water represent a growing challenge to the business activities of Millipore, topics such as employee health and work-life balance create opportunities for the company.
The topics identified correspond to those that were determined for Merck by the stakeholder survey and the workshops in mid-2010. Following the acquisition of Millipore in July 2010, these topics are reported on in the joint Corporate Responsibility Report of the Merck Group.
In the future, Merck Millipore will deploy the SSAG in an advisory capacity as needed, for example when further developing the sustainability strategy and focusing on the Group-wide vision and objectives of Merck.
Subject-specific dialoguesWe have contact with many groups in society through our daily work. The dialogues are mostly organized and held directly by the specialist departments at Merck. One example is the Bioethics Hearing Group, which met in November 2009. Bioethicists, physicians, researchers and Merck representatives discussed ethical and legal issues of research approaches for treating infertility.
Merck is active in several industry and public networks concerned with general public health issues.
Merck Serono has submitted a joint project proposal to the African Network of Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) which is currently under evaluation. Merck is also a member of the Geneva Innovation Network and is engaged in discussions regarding public health issues in developing countries.
In addition, Merck Serono participates in stakeholder dialogue and discussions through the
ANDI platform, with the aim of establishing new research activities and knowledge transfer to develop new treatments for diseases in developing countries.
Merck is also a member of Rx-360, a consortium of global pharmaceutical industry suppliers that aims to prevent counterfeiting by establishing a global quality control system. In 2009, Merck hosted the first global Open Day Meeting for the Consortium Rx-360 where progress and fields of action were discussed.
Scientific exchange is valued at Merck and we believe it is an essential component of a global approach of public health issues. We actively participate in conferences such as the ANDI annual meeting (e.g. in Nov 2011, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia), or the Geneva Health Forum (GHF), of which Merck Serono is also a regular sponsor. In 2010, two sessions were organized by Merck Serono on drug counterfeiting and improving access to medicine, and Merck will again be a participant in the next edition from April 18-20, 2012. Merck Serono is also part of the Geneva Global Health Innovation Network meeting with different key players in the field of global health.
Beyond participating in congresses, we also foster dialogue by pursuing initiatives that bring together public and private sectors. In 2011, Merck invited internationally renowned experts in the field of access to medicine to debate specific global health related challenges. Topics discussed were patients and access to medicine in the developing world, challenges of clinical trials in developing countries, challenges of pricing in the developing world, ATM Index & transparency, access to health governance challenges for pharmaceutical companies, the challenges of tiered / differential pricing, opportunities for alliance & partnerships and the role of donations.
In 2009, Merck Serono hosted, funded and co-organized a conference on infectious diseases in partnership with BioAlps. 350 participants from academia, international organizations (e.g. WHO) and NGOs engaged in discussions about malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
