We have expanded the list of climate policies we assess company engagement with to incorporate land-use related policy, referring to legislative or regulatory measures to enhance and protect ecosystems and land where carbon is being stored. Assessments under this category are currently underweighted in terms of their contribution to the overall company metrics. This weighting will be progressively increased over the next 6 months.
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
CEO of Merck is on the board of VCI (Up to date as of April 2022)
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
A subsidiary of Merck (MSD Sharp & Hohme Gmbh) is a member of VCI, as of February 2022
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
CEO of Merck is on the board of VCI (Up to date as of April 2022)
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
A subsidiary of Merck (MSD Sharp & Hohme Gmbh) is a member of VCI, as of February 2022
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior executive of Merck is the chair of the working group on water management (correct as of January 2023)
Arne Leibfritz
--no extract--
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior executive is chair of the BDI legal committee, as of February 2022
Dr. Friederike Rotsch
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior executive of Merck is the chair of the working group on water management (correct as of January 2023)
Arne Leibfritz
--no extract--
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior executive is chair of the BDI legal committee, as of February 2022
Dr. Friederike Rotsch
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior Executive of Merck & Co is a Board Member of NAM, as of February 2022. Merck has changed their position to consistent with NAM's in their 2021 CDP response
Karin Shanahan
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Merck stated that it is not fully aligned with NAM on climate change
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior Executive of Merck is Board Member of NAM
Quentin Roach
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior Executive of Merck & Co is a Board Member of NAM, as of February 2022. Merck has changed their position to consistent with NAM's in their 2021 CDP response
Karin Shanahan
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Merck stated that it is not fully aligned with NAM on climate change
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior Executive of Merck is Board Member of NAM
Quentin Roach
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Merck is a member of the US-Japan Business Council, as of February 2022
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Merck is a member of the US-Turkey Business Council
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Member of Brazil-US Business Council
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Merck Exec. is a member of the board of the U.S.-UK Business Council
Jeffrey May
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Merck is a member of the Chamber
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Merck is a member of the US-Japan Business Council, as of February 2022
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Merck is a member of the US-Turkey Business Council
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Member of Brazil-US Business Council
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Merck Exec. is a member of the board of the U.S.-UK Business Council
Jeffrey May
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Merck is a member of the Chamber
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Merck Pharma Japan is a member of JPMA (Correct as of September 2022)
not specified
--no extract--
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Merk Pharma Japan is a member of JPMA
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Merck Pharma Japan is a member of JPMA (Correct as of September 2022)
not specified
--no extract--
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Merk Pharma Japan is a member of JPMA
In this section, we depict graphically the relationships the corporation has with trade associations, federations, advocacy groups and other third parties who may be acting on their behalf to influence climate change policy. Each of the columns above represents one relationship the corporation appears to have with such a third party. In these columns, the top, dark section represents the strength of the relationship the corporation has with the influencer. For example if a corporation's senior executive also held a key role in the trade association, we would deem this to be a strong relationship and it would be on the far left of the chart above, with the weaker ones to the right. Click on these grey shaded upper sections for details of these relationships. The middle section contains a link to the organization score details of the influencer concerned, so you can see the details of its climate change policy influence. Click on the middle sections for for details of the trade associations. The lower section contains the organization score of that influencer, the lower the more negatively it is influencing climate policy.
Open PDF file of Data Source
Climate Lobbying Overview: Merck appears to have very limited engagement with specific climate change measures in 2020-2021, despite positive top-line support for the Paris Agreement and global action on climate change. The company is a member of industry associations that lobby obstructively on climate policy in the US, such as the US Chamber of Commerce.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: In an April 2021 press release, Merck appeared supportive of the goals of the Paris Agreement and the need for urgent action to combat climate change. In a second press release published by Merck in April 2021, the company echoed this position with Merck President, Robert Davis, further calling for global action on climate change. According to the company’s corporate webpage ‘One Health,’ accessed in April 2022, the company also supports “science-based, environmentally sound international and national programs to address the challenges to environmental health.” However, Merck does not appear to explicitly support a carbon-neutral economy by 2050, as recommended by the IPCC, or governmental regulation in response to climate change.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Merck appears to have limited engagement with specific climate change policies in 2020-21. Merck reported engagement on the Build Back Better Act in its Q3 and Q4 2021 federal lobbying disclosures, but did not report engagement on the climate related provisions within the bill. In Merck’s 2020/2021 ESG report, the company seems to support measures incentivizing renewable energy. Merck reiterates support for renewable energy legislation in its 2021 CDP response, with the exception that it does not increase energy prices for the state’s residents or businesses.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Despite highlighting the benefits of renewable energy to “avoid emissions, help reduce energy demand peaks and postpone or preclude adding new power plants” in its 2020/2021 ESG report, InfluenceMap did not find further evidence of Merck’s position on, or engagement with, policy to transition the energy mix.
Industry Association Governance: Merck discloses a list of industry associations where it pays annual dues of $50,000 or more on its corporate website, but does not disclose its role within each association or the groups’ policy positions. Merck has not completed a review of its industry associations as of April 2022. The company’s 2021 CDP response discloses membership to the National Association of Manufacturers, where a Senior Executive serves on the board, and states that it is aligned with the group on climate policy. The company is also a member of the US Chamber of Commerce and the American Chemistry Association. All three of these organizations are engaged negatively on US climate policy. However, Merck is a member of SolarPower Europe which is positively engaged with renewable energy legislation in the EU.