Better Health for All
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Merck's core business delivers substantial health benefits, with its products and pipeline addressing 83% of the top 20 global burdens of disease.
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The company demonstrates strong price accessibility by signing voluntary license agreements for generic COVID-19 medicines in over 100 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)
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and providing HPV vaccines to Gavi at access prices.
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Merck exhibits revolutionary healthcare data responsibility, being the first in the world to obtain EU Binding Corporate Rules approval based on APEC CBPRs.
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The company provides comprehensive mental health support for its employees through a global Employee Assistance Program, offering counseling and resources. Merck demonstrates exceptional patent flexibility through voluntary licensing for generic COVID-19 medicines in over 100 LMICs.
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Its healthcare education efforts include Project ECHO®, which trains over 33,000 local health workers and reaches an estimated 11 million people in underserved communities in Asia.
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Merck maintains revolutionary clinical trial ethics, adhering to global standards, committing to diversity, registering all trials since 2007, and disclosing all results regardless of outcome.
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Its partners trained an estimated 349,000 healthcare workers in 2023, representing transformative capacity-building with global recognition.
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Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
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Merck & Company Inc. is a pharmaceutical company. The provided articles detail its commitment to economic inclusion through supplier diversity initiatives, increasing spending with small and diverse Tier 1 and 2 suppliers from $3.2 billion to $3.6 billion in 2023.
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The company supports minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses by offering tools like mentoring, second-tier programs, and scholarships.
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However, the 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' value and its KPIs are designed to assess financial institutions and their direct impact on financial inclusion, lending, and wealth building through financial products and services. The evidence, while demonstrating positive economic impact through procurement, does not align with the specific financial services criteria of the rubric's KPIs (e.g., loan books, APRs, financial literacy programs, debt products, banking access points). Therefore, no KPIs can be scored based on the provided information.
Fair Pay & Worker Respect
30
Merck achieved over 99% pay equity worldwide between genders and races in 2023, based on global studies covering more than 65,000 employees.
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The company was recognized as one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2023, based on employee feedback.
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Merck's 2023/2024 Impact Report highlights its dedication to ethics and responsibility, aligning with UN Global Compact principles on human rights and labor.
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As of 2023, women comprised 46% of the Board of Directors and over 50% of new hires.
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In July 2023, an unfair labor practice case was filed against Merck, but it was closed in August 2023 following a withdrawal request, indicating it was not substantiated.
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Similarly, in October 2024, a charge was filed with the EEOC alleging that a leadership program unlawfully excluded certain racial groups; this charge is an allegation and not a substantiated violation.
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Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
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The provided articles describe Merck's participation in sustainability initiatives like Together for Sustainability (TfS)
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, its due diligence programs for conflict minerals
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and mica
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, and its commitment to human rights
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. Through TfS, Merck has access to over 1,800 assessments of its suppliers
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. In 2023, 66% of Merck's relevant suppliers were covered by a valid sustainability assessment
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, and 94% of spend attributable to these suppliers was covered by suppliers with a valid sustainability assessment
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. Merck funds schools, vocational training centers, and a health center serving around 20,000 residents
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. In 2023, an external auditing firm verified Merck's compliance with the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation
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. In 2021, 882 suppliers completed assessments or re-assessments
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.
Honest & Fair Business
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Merck incurred a $572.5 million charge in 2023 related to settlements in Zetia antitrust litigation.
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No financial restatements are explicitly mentioned in the provided articles.
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The company maintains a robust anti-corruption policy that prohibits improper payments to private and public officials in direct and indirect engagements, including divisional policies for higher-risk activities involving government officials outside the U.S., and is reinforced by a Business Partner Code of Conduct.
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Over 99% of employees completed "Leading With Ethics & Integrity Training" in 2023.
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A strong whistle-blower policy is in place, offering a 24/7 anonymous reporting tool (MSDethics.com) operated by an independent third party, available to employees and suppliers in their preferred language.
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Retaliation against employees who report concerns is strictly prohibited, and a process for escalation and investigation of concerns is maintained.
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In 2023, listening sessions were conducted at Animal Health manufacturing sites to strengthen the "Speak Up" culture.
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In February 2025, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Merck alleging securities fraud related to misleading information about Gardasil sales projections.
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Merck was ranked No. 1 on Newsweek's list of America's Most Responsible Companies for 2025.
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The company established a Digital Ethics Advisory Panel in October 2023 to address ethical issues in data collection, AI, and digital business models.
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Limited assurance was provided by ERM CVS for select 2023 greenhouse gas and water data, and independent third-party audit firms perform announced LHR audits at supplier facilities.
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Merck discloses U.S. medicine pricing information, with its 2023 report showing an average annual net price increase of 4.4 percent.
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The company has also been recognized as a "Trendsetter" for seven years in the CPA Index of Corporate Political Disclosure & Accountability report for its transparency around political giving.
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Kind to Animals
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Merck used almost 145,000 animals in 2023, with 97% being rodents.
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In 2022, 149,643 animals were used, representing a 17% decrease compared to 2021.
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The company aims to phase out animal testing, with its CEO expressing an ambition to eliminate it in the near future.
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Its policy restricts animal use to important scientific questions or regulatory requirements, adhering to 4R principles (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement, Responsibility), and includes a voluntary ban on chimpanzee use and cosmetic animal testing.
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Merck actively implements alternative testing methods, acquiring HUB Organoids in 2024 for human-based research models
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and successfully replacing some animal tests, such as for guinea pigs in medical pump parts.
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It collaborates with industry and academia, contributing to initiatives like IMI 2 eTRANSAFE,
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and engages politically to phase out animal use, signing the Marseille declaration in 2022 for global ethical standards.
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No War, No Weapons
0
Merck's core operations are focused on developing and distributing healthcare solutions, including medicines and vaccines, and the company is not directly involved in arms manufacturing.
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In December 2020, Merck received $356 million from the DoD and HHS for COVID-19 therapeutics.
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The company's business model aligns with peace and conflict resolution principles.
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Planet-Friendly Business
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Merck has committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain by 2045, with targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
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The company aims to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 46% and Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2030, using 2019 as a baseline.
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As of 2023, 57% of the company's purchased electricity was sourced from renewable sources.
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Merck has developed a Low Carbon Transition Playbook and a Waste Diversion Playbook to guide its global sites.
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The company received the 2023 Peter J. Dunn Award for green chemistry and the 2024 Green Chemistry Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for sustainable manufacturing processes.
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In 2023, Merck engaged suppliers accounting for 50% of its Scope 3 emissions, with plans to increase this engagement to 80% by 2024.
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Merck has set targets to send no more than 20% of its global operational waste to landfills or incinerators without energy recovery by 2025
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and aims to maintain water use at or below 2015 levels by 2025.
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The company was ranked No. 1 among pharmaceutical companies in Barron's 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies.
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Respect for Cultures & Communities
20
Merck has engaged in 8 formal partnerships with indigenous or local community groups. This includes 4 partnerships with Historically Black Medical Schools (October 2023)
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, a collaboration with the University of Alaska, a drone provider, and local governments to deliver medicines to indigenous communities in Alaska (June 2023)
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, and a partnership with an Indigenous-led program in Ontario (May 2017).
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There are no reported cultural appropriation incidents. The Merck Foundation committed $11 million to Project ECHO for culturally appropriate healthcare solutions in Asia-Pacific (March 2024).
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Merck's "Solutions for Healthy Communities" program supports locally led health solutions for underserved populations, including Indigenous communities (2023).
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The company also funded a project in Austin, Texas, for culturally sensitive perinatal care (April 2021)
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and was recognized as a Top 50 Workplace for Indigenous STEM Professionals (2020).
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Safe & Smart Tech
20
Merck demonstrates strong AI ethics governance, regulatory compliance, and privacy certifications. The company established a Code of Digital Ethics (CoDE) in 2020, based on 20 principles
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, and operates a Digital Ethics Office and a Digital Ethics Advisory Panel (DEAP) with external experts
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, which met four times in 2023 to focus on generative AI
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. Merck developed a GAI Ethics Framework with seven ethics markers and three governance levels to guide responsible deployment and identify use cases to be avoided
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. For privacy, Merck has achieved Binding Corporate Rules (BCR) approval in the EU
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, was the first healthcare company and second multinational certified under the APEC Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system in 2013
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, and is self-certified under the EU-U.S., UK Extension, and Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework programs
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. Its BCR approval process was approximately three months faster than the 18-month average
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. Merck is also preparing for the EU AI Act regulations
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. Individuals have rights to access, correct, object to, restrict processing of, and request erasure of their personal information, and can lodge complaints or invoke binding arbitration
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. Merck has a vulnerability disclosure program that encourages security researchers to report issues and collaborates in good faith, but it does not offer monetary rewards
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. A data breach was discovered in October 2025 at a vendor, Graebel Companies, Inc.
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, affecting names and financial account information of current and former employees
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, with notifications occurring in November 2025
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Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
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As of 2023, 55% of Merck's sites have achieved zero waste to landfill.
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The company has implemented multiple waste reduction initiatives, including a biopharma recycling program that has recycled over 8,700 metric tons of plastic waste since 2015.
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Merck received the EPA's Green Chemistry Award in 2022 for a sustainable manufacturing process that prevents millions of pounds of waste.
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Its Design for Sustainability program integrates circular design principles, exemplified by the EZ-Fit™ Manifold, which is designed for recycling.
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Merck has set company-wide waste reduction targets, aiming for at least 50% of its sites to send zero waste to landfills by 2025
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and to reduce packaging weight per sales unit by 10% by 2030.
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