Merck Serono Corporate Headquarters Receives ISO 14001 Certification

Company Commits to Ongoing Improvements in Energy and Environmental Performance

27-Apr-2010 - Switzerland

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, 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-Veveyand Aubonne, located in the canton of Vaud.

"Since moving to the Sécheron site inGeneva, 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.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/116775/merck-serono-corporate-headquarters-receives-iso-14001-certification.html