At Merck, we understand that our air emissions can have local, regional and global impacts.

The largest source of air emissions at our sites is carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the production and use of energy and from other combustion processes, such as thermal oxidizers (for treating air emissions) and solid waste incinerators. For more information on greenhouse gas emissions and energy use, click here.

The combustion processes that produce our energy also result in emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sometimes sulfur oxides (SOx), depending on the fuels used. As we reduce the need for energy production through our efficiency projects, we will be reducing the emissions of NOx and, in some cases, the emissions of SOx.

The largest source of air emissions from our manufacturing processes is solvent use, which is the primary component of emissions to air of both volatile organic compounds (VOC) and Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) compounds. Two of our new goals are targeted to reduce these pollutants. Our Green Chemistry and VOC reduction goals will lead to lower levels of toxic emissions in general and lower VOC emissions specifically. Our current emissions of ozone-depleting compounds, which are primarily due to minor leaks from temperature control systems, are small compared to other emissions from our sites. Nevertheless, we will continue to monitor them for improvement opportunities.

We remain committed not only to driving our emissions downward, but also to continuously improving our methods for tracking these emissions. In 2010 we continued our efforts to harmonize our reporting processes through which we were able to improve the accuracy of our performance indicators for 2009 and 2010.