Merck is committed to the efficient and responsible use of energy in its global operations. In 2006, Merck updated its energy policy to reflect our commitment to energy conservation and our vision to become the most competitive energy steward in the pharmaceutical industry. The policy identifies Merck's Executive Committee as its sponsor and establishes that every employee is responsible for optimizing the use of energy in their job activities. Energy efficiency is a key criterion when Merck purchases equipment and services and we continually seek opportunities to promote energy conservation at Merck facilities worldwide.
Global Energy Strategy
In 2004, we extended our participation in ENERGY STAR®, a voluntary program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, to all of our U.S. facilities. Through this program, we commit to continuous improvement in corporate-wide energy management, develop and implement plans to improve performance, and educate employees and the public about the importance of energy efficiency at work and at home.
Merck also participates in the Business Roundtable's Climate RESOLVE program, and has established a corporate Greenhouse Gas policy, as well as a Greenhouse Gas emissions inventory and Greenhouse Gas emissions management goals. In 2006, we also joined the U.S. EPA's Climate Leader Program,
www.epa.gov/stateply. Climate Leaders is an EPA industry-government partnership that works with companies to develop long–term comprehensive climate change strategies.
Energy Use Reduction Goal
In 2005, Merck committed to reduce energy demand at our facilities by 25% by the end of 2008 measured in million BTUs per unit area. The reduction in energy will be calculated from the energy use per unit area during the baseline year of 2004.
In 2005, Merck established the Global Energy Team (GET), a cross-functional organization responsible for coordinating Company-wide initiatives to achieve the objectives of Merck's energy policy including developing an integrated global strategy for optimization of energy supply and demand efficiency. GET also measures and communicates progress toward achieving corporate energy use and cost-reduction goals as well as educates employees about the importance of energy efficiency.
Between 2004 and 2006, Merck reduced its demand for energy for operations by 17.1% measured as million BTUs per square foot. This value is the measure of progress to our goal to reduce energy demand at our facilities by 25% by the end of 2008.
Energy Use
Our 2006 energy usage was 16.3 million gigajoules. One gigajoule is equal to 278 kilowatt hours of electricity or 26 liters of heating oil. Energy usage for the period 2004 to 2006 is noted below:
To learn more about Merck's commitment to the environment, click on the links below:
