GENEVA, Switzerland, April 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany, has announced that its corporate headquarters in Geneva has obtained ISO 14001 certification. This certification by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recognizes the company's determination to manage the ecological impact of its business through concrete measures and subject to regular audits.
For Merck Serono in Switzerland, this will be its third ISO 14001 certification. Previously, in 2005 and 2009, the company obtained ISO 14001 certifications for its biotech production sites at Corsier-sur-Vevey and Aubonne, located in the canton of Vaud.
Since moving to the Sécheron site in Geneva, we have adopted measures to improve the energy performance of our building and to reduce our environmental impact, while at the same time putting in place programs for raising environmental awareness among our employees, says Elmar Schnee, President of Merck Serono. We are proud to have received ISO 14001 certification, which rewards a collective effort by management and employees to embrace a responsible and rational approach to managing our environment.
The certification was awarded following an in-depth assessment of the company's current environmental management system. As part of the objectives the company has voluntary set to be achieved by the year 2020, it will work to steadily reduce its consumption of natural resources, energy and associated greenhouse gas emissions, and to improve waste recycling.
In addition, since moving to the site in late 2006, Merck Serono management has put in place an extensive awareness-raising program to encourage employees to use public transport, non-motorized vehicles and car pooling, and to cut down on business travel through tools such as video conferencing. The company also has taken into account employee suggestions when adopting a number of projects designed to promote rational use of resources and waste recycling.
The 45,000 m2 building in the Sécheron district of Geneva has almost 1200 employees. Merck Serono's corporate headquarters was designed with the environment in mind: 70% of the energy consumed by the site comes from renewable resources, thanks to an innovative system of heating and cooling that relies on pumping water from Lake Geneva, and by using electricity generated by hydroelectric power.
About Merck Serono
Merck Serono is the division for innovative prescription pharmaceuticals of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a global pharmaceutical and chemical company. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Merck Serono discovers, develops, manufactures and markets innovative small molecules and biopharmaceuticals to help patients with unmet medical needs. In the United States and Canada, EMD Serono operates through separately incorporated affiliates.
Merck Serono has leading brands serving patients with cancer (Erbitux(R), cetuximab), multiple sclerosis (Rebif(R), interferon beta-1a), infertility (Gonal-f(R), follitropin alpha), endocrine and metabolic disorders (Saizen(R) and Serostim(R), somatropin), (Kuvan(R), sapropterin dihydrochloride) as well as cardiometabolic diseases (Glucophage(R), metformin), (Concor(R), bisoprolol), (Euthyrox(R), levothyroxine). Not all products are available in all markets.
With an annual RD expenditure of more than EUR 1 billion, Merck Serono is committed to growing its business in specialist-focused therapeutic areas including neurodegenerative diseases, oncology, fertility and endocrinology, as well as new areas potentially arising out of research and development in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
About Merck
Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with total revenues of EUR 7.7 billion in 2009, a history that began in 1668, and a future shaped by approximately 33,000 employees in 61 countries. Its success is characterized by innovations from entrepreneurial employees. Merck's operating activities come under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which the Merck family holds an approximately 70% interest and free shareholders own the remaining approximately 30%. In 1917 the U.S. subsidiary Merck Co. was expropriated and has been an independent company ever since.
For more information, please visit http://www.merckserono.com or http://www.merck.de
SOURCE: Merck Serono S A
CONTACT: Merck Serono, 9 Chemin des Mines , 1202 Genève , Suisse.Relations Presse : Tél:+41-22-414-36-00.
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