Merck Cuts Emissions by 7%
October 08 2019 - 9:55AM
Dow Jones News
By Dieter Holger
Merck & Co. (MRK) said Tuesday that it cut its
greenhouse-gas emissions by 7% last year from the previous year as
the pharmaceutical company looks to improve its energy efficiency
and other eco-friendly measures.
Total emissions at the American company came to around 8.6
million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2018 compared with 9.1
million metric tons in 2017, Merck said.
Merck's efforts come as the pharmaceutical industry faces
mounting pressure to lower its environmental footprint. The carbon
footprint of the global drug sector is larger than that of the
automotive industry, according to a study published this year in
the Journal of Cleaner Production, a scientific publication. Merck
is among only 15 drug companies that have reported their emissions
since 2012, the study said.
At 72%, the vast majority of Merck's emissions were scope
3--emissions from a company's actual products. To cut its emissions
Merck said that it was working to reduce waste in its operations,
lower fuel use and seeking opportunities to shift from air freight
to ocean transport when practical.
"These actions not only reduce our environmental impact but
benefit the business by reducing costs," Merck said.
Write to Dieter Holger at dieter.holger@wsj.com;
@dieterholger
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 08, 2019 09:40 ET (13:40 GMT)
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