Responsible Care

Representing the North American chemicals business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, EMD Chemicals is committed to the same traditions and responsibilities as our global parent company.

As the oldest family-owned pharmaceutical company worldwide, Merck KGaA has demonstrated a strong commitment to maintain and increase the company value for future generations through innovative products, dedicated employees and responsible management of natural resources for over 335 years. Long before concepts like corporate responsibility and corporate citizenship became widely known, Merck KGaA was living these values and incorporated them in their global Mission Statement.

Like our parent company, we recognize our responsibility to protect and conserve the environment by responsible management of our chemicals businesses.

We are committed to Responsible Care^®, a voluntary initiative launched by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; www.americanchemistry.com) in 1988 to achieve improvements in environmental, health and safety performance beyond the levels required by the U.S. government.

As a member of the ACC, we are working towards the vision of no accidents, injuries, or harm to the environment. We are in the process of implementing an RC Management system throughout our organization and strive to obtain the certification for RC-14001, starting with the first site certification in 2004.

We will adhere to the Seven Codes of Management Practice and the guiding principles of Responsible Care^® as stated in our company HSSE policy.

Responsible Care^® Worldwide

Responsible Care^® is a self-commitment of the international chemical industry focusing on constant improvement of the protection of our environment as well as the safety and health protection of the chemical industry's employees. Responsible Care^® is advancing in 47 countries, representing over 85 percent of the world's chemical production.