Company: MilliporeSigma, the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Burlington, MA
Company Description: The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has more than 28,000 employees and more than 55 total manufacturing and testing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing and testing services.
Nomination Category: Sustainability Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sustainability Initiative of the Year - in Canada and the U.S.A.
 Nomination Title: Green Chemistry Education for the Next Generation of Scientists: Beyond Benign and the Life Science Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated organization since 1 January 2022, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 196 words used.
The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, develops and distributes innovative products, services and digital offerings that are used in the research, development and manufacture of biotechnological and pharmaceutical drug therapies and in research and application labs. Our 300,000-plus products empower scientists to make a positive difference in the lives of millions worldwide.
We impact life and health with sustainable science through our SHAPE – Design for Sustainability framework, which integrates greener thinking at every stage of the product life cycle to minimize the environmental and health impact of our products. Additionally, we use our free DOZN™ tool to help quantify how ‘green’ redesigned products and processes are.
We integrate DOZN™ into R&D and Quality Assurance and train colleagues across key functions to help automatically identify greener practices for their work. Furthermore, we are working to advance greener thinking across the industry by making DOZN™ available to all.
Expanding on our commitment to green chemistry, we announced a multi-year, multi-million dollar commitment with Beyond Benign in March 2023. Our partnership creates green chemistry education resources, empowering future scientists to address sustainability through chemistry.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the organization's achievements since the beginning of 2022 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
MilliporeSigma and Beyond Benign believe introducing green and sustainable chemistry resources in the educational value chain can increase the surplus of ‘green collar’ workers. However, integrating green chemistry into higher education remains a challenge for institutions globally due to factors such as a lack of green chemistry content in textbooks, a lack of resources to develop green chemistry education materials, and an information gap among educators.
Addressing the urgent need for the next generation of workers to possess green skills, to date, our expanded partnership has engaged 3,600-plus faculty members and reached more than 920,000 students around the world. It has also:
- Helped remove the barriers that keep green chemistry out of classrooms through the pioneering Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC) online platform. Launched in October 2023, with additional support from the American Chemical Society, the GCTLC brings together chemistry educators, students and industry stakeholders worldwide in a shared virtual space. To date, our partnership made over 200 open-access curriculum units, lessons and educational resources in green chemistry available.
- United the green chemistry higher education community around a shared commitment to implementing green chemistry education and practice within existing curriculum and programs through global expansion of Beyond Benign’s long-standing Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC). With 168 GCC signers globally to date, the partnership has outpaced its goals for 2024 already and continues to increase steadily.
- Supported green chemistry innovation by granting up to $5,000 to 10 GCC signing institutions for 1-year projects that advance green chemistry.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 249 words used.
While virtually all global life science companies have sustainability programs, we are the industry pacesetter in embedding sustainability principles across the value chain. As such, we serve as Sustainability Multipliers, sharing our sustainability knowledge and expertise in greener practices across industries and sectors to equip the current and next generation of chemistry leaders to adopt a holistic approach to sustainability. This enables progress in reducing the overall impact of scientific research by creating greener products and solutions.
Our partnership achievements are significant because sustainability is not considered a core concept in many countries in undergraduate and graduate chemistry education. By partnering with Beyond Benign to make green chemistry an integral part of chemistry education and empowering educators, we are changing the way students and the community approach chemistry worldwide. This partnership enhances the resources and support for students and teachers in their green chemistry learning journey. It provides practicing chemists and students a fresh perspective to design products and processes that have a reduced environmental impact.
Also, although there are existing solutions to close the green-skills gap, like paid courses or workshops, the GCTLC provides educators, students and industry stakeholders with access to the tools, training and support necessary to make green chemistry an integral part of chemistry education at zero cost. Our partnership will also continue to increase the development of green chemistry resources to introduce sustainable science principles to more than 10,000 faculty members and over 14.5 million students in higher education globally by 2030.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
As highlighted in the initiatives and news clippings shared in the supporting deck, the partnership advances Beyond Benign’s global expansion of access to resources and support needed to apply greener practices in chemistry education.
Secured, global earned media coverage of the partnership announcement, progress and milestones, including the recent GCTLC launch, in key industry trade publications like Chemistry World, Environment+Energy Leader and Chem Europe, help amplify the significance and impact of the partnership and Beyond Benign’s sustainability efforts.
Additionally, as linked in the supporting deck, on Beyond Benign’s website, featured quotes from university professors emphasize how the GCC offers a means for chemistry departments to connect with other like-minded institutions dedicated to implementing green chemistry in their programs. For example, one Simmons College professor says: “Community is important. The GCC helps bring people together through a support network for faculty who are trying to do the right thing.” Another example includes a Grand Valley State University professor: “In chemistry, it is essential to consider the consequences of our actions. The GCC is helping to bring focus to the importance of understanding these consequences and designing chemistry right from the beginning.”
Also, as shown in a join American Chemical Society byline, the partnership allows for collaboration with Beyond Benign's expert leaders, including Dr. Amy Cannon, the world's first Ph.D in Green Chemistry, and Dr. John Warner, the father of green chemistry. Their insights and network connections are valued as we increase our 2,500-plus greener alternative product portfolio.
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