Melbourne, Australia – Merck, a leading science and technology company, will transition from traditional expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation to wool-pack insulation for cold-chain shipments for its Life Science business in Australia, effective September 1. This move is expected to replace 300m3 or 3.6 tons of non-recyclable EPS per year. The wool-based packaging solution is validated for one-day shipments of pharmaceutical products under Australian summer conditions.
“By moving to wool- and fibreboard-based insulation for cold-chain shipments, we offer our customers sustainable packaging solutions without sacrificing our customary one-day transit time,” said Rebecca Lee, Managing Director at Merck Life Science Pty Ltd. “This transition reflects Merck's dedication to reducing our environmental footprint and promoting a more sustainable value chain.”
Wool- and fibreboard-based insulation manufactured by Planet Protector Packaging, eliminates EPS materials from cold-chain shipments requiring temperature regulation between 2°C and 8°C in Australia. The company will further reduce waste by printing packing labels directly onto the fibreboard box instead of applying separate labels.
This initiative, the first of its kind for Merck’s Asia-Pacific region, reinforces the company’s commitment to sustainability and directly contributes to Merck’s SMASH Packaging strategy to systematically improve sustainability of new and existing packaging to support the company’s sustainability strategy.
Merck has defined ambitious goals to be achieved by 2030 and 2040 on its global sustainability strategy, which have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative in May 2022. These include achieving human progress for over one billion people through sustainable science and technology by 2030, fully integrating sustainability into all value chains by 2030, and achieving climate neutrality and reducing resource consumption by 2040.
Key Facts:
· Shift from traditional expanded polystyrene to wool-pack insulation reduces environmental impact
· Wool-based packaging solution validated for pharmaceutical product shipment requirements
· Change expected to replace over 3.6 tons of expanded polystyrene cold-chain packaging materials per year
About us:
About Merck
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. Around 63,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2023, Merck generated sales of € 21 billion in 65 countries.
Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics.
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Contact details:
Interviews are available with Brent Gittus, Head of Distribution for Australia & New Zealand at Merck via:
Tom Carruthers | 0404404026 tom@scienceinpublic.com.au
