Merck 2014 Annual Report Download - page 160

155CORPORATE GOVERNANCE → Statement on Corporate Governance
Avoidance of conflicts of interest
Within the framework of their work, all Executive Board and Super-
visory Board members of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, are
exclusively committed to the interests of the company and neither
pursue personal interests nor grant unjustified advantages to third
parties.
Before an Executive Board member takes on honorary offices,
board positions or other sideline activities, this must be approved
by the Personnel Committee of the Board of Partners of
E.MerckKG, Darmstadt, Germany. The Chairman of the Executive
Board, Karl-Ludwig Kley, and the Chief Financial Officer, Marcus
Kuhnert
1
, are both members of the Executive Board of E. MerckKG,
Darmstadt, Germany. This does not, however, lead to conflicts of
interest.
In its report to the General Meeting, the Supervisory Board
discloses any conflicts of interest involving its members and how
they were dealt with. Consultancy agreements as well other ser-
vice and work contracts of a Supervisory Board member with
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, require the approval of the
Supervisory Board. In fiscal 2014, there were neither conflicts of
interest nor consultancy agreements or other service or work con-
tracts with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, involving Super-
visory Board members.
Adherence to environmental and safety standards
At the company, closed-loop thinking guides the way in which we
address environmental concerns and environmental protection
issues. To this end, we integrate precautionary measures into our
planning processes. Our Environment, Health and Safety Policy
with its principles and strategies implements the guidelines for-
mulated by the national and international associations of the
chemical industry in the Responsible Care guidelines. The Respon-
sible Care Global Charter developed by the International Council
of Chemical Associations (ICCA) in 2006 puts even more emphasis
than before on overall responsibility for products, supply chains
and the community. The company signed this expanded version of
Responsible Care for the entire Group in February 2007. In addi-
tion, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, was one of the first com-
panies in 2014 to sign the new version of the Responsible Care
Global Charter, which is currently being rolled out internationally.
We report our ecological, economic and social performance
transparently in accordance with the internationally recognized
principles of the Global Reporting Initiative (
GRI ), taking into
account the requirements of the
German Sustainability Code and
the principles of the UN Global Compact.
One of our major climate protection objectives is to achieve a
20 % reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 measured
against the 2006 baseline.
Many guidelines specify how the sites and employees of the
Group are to observe the principles in their daily work. The Group
function Environment, Health, Safety, Security & Quality steers
these global activities and ensures compliance with regulatory
requirements, standards and business needs throughout the entire
Group. In this way, Group-wide risks are minimized and
contin-
uous improvement is promoted in the areas of Environment, Health,
Safety, Security and Quality. Corporate Responsibility
reports are
also published at regular intervals.
1 Mr. Kuhnert has been a member of the Executive Board of E. Merck KG, Darmstadt, Germany, since August 1, 2014. Mr. Zachert left the Executive Board of E. Merck KG, Darmstadt,
Germany, on March 31, 2014.