Safeguarding the environment through green chemistry
When a manufacturing process doesn’t meet our standards, we build an award-winning, planet-friendly one
May 31, 2023
Many of us are trying to go green, changing our behavior and lifestyles to reduce our impact on the environment. And our company is no different. Protecting the environment is a key part of our commitment to operating responsibly. We believe a healthy planet is essential to human and animal health, as well as to the sustainability of our business.
Going green can also enhance opportunities for product innovation and cost- and risk-reduction. And our efforts have been getting noticed. Members of our small molecule process research and development (SM PR&D) group have been honored recently for their achievements in developing groundbreaking green chemistry solutions.
“Our strategy is to provide innovative and transformative solutions — rather than incremental improvements to historical practices — to achieve our goals on sustainable manufacturing.”
- Kevin Maloney
Executive director, process chemistry, SM PR&D
2023 Peter J. Dunn Award for design of biocatalytic cascade
Merck was honored for the design of a biocatalytic cascade, a novel process using natural substances including enzymes to build molecular complexity while drastically reducing hazardous waste.
“Enzymes are the action heroes of biology — and with a little training, they can be the superheroes for chemistry, too.”
- Stephanie Galanie
Director, protein engineering, enabling technologies PR&D
2022 Green Chemistry Award for the development of a sustainable manufacturing process
This award — given by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — recognized our company’s development of a green and sustainable manufacturing process for large quantities of medicine while preventing millions of pounds of waste per year.
“It was more critical than ever that we develop the most green and sustainable processes, as well as invent new reactions to realize the ultimate synthetic route from sustainable raw materials.”
- Patrick Fier
Principal scientist, process chemistry, SM PR&D
This marks our sixth consecutive Green Chemistry Challenge Award and ninth overall.
Learn more
Green chemistry is just one way we help support a healthy planet. Our commitment to environmental sustainability focuses on improving operational efficiency, reducing environmental risks in our supply chain and lowering the environmental impact of our products and packaging. Read more about our new goals to achieve carbon neutrality across our operations by 2025.
