GRI Index
The GRI Standards represent global best practices for reporting publicly on a range of economic, environmental and social impacts.
This report provides an inclusive picture of our corporate responsibility material topics, their related impacts and how they are managed. While many of the disclosures are in alignment with the Core level, this is a GRI-referenced report.
Throughout this report, there are indicators in the left-hand column for which GRI, SASB and SDG disclosures are relevant to the content on that page.
The table below summarizes where responses to the GRI disclosures can be found throughout this site.
| Index # | Description | Location/Response |
|---|---|---|
| General Disclosures | ||
| GRI 102: Organizational profile | ||
| GRI 102-1 | Organization name | Merck & Co., Inc. Kenilworth, N.J., USA |
| GRI 102-2 | Primary brands, products, and services | Our Business 2019 Form 10-K (pages 1–4) |
| GRI 102-3 | Headquarters location | Kenilworth, N.J., USA |
| GRI 102-4 | Location of operations | We have operations in more than 140 markets around the globe MSD worldwide |
| GRI 102-5 | Ownership and legal form | 2019 Form 10-K (cover, page 36) |
| GRI 102-6 | Markets served | Our Business 2019 Form 10-K (pages 2–4) |
| GRI 102-7 | Scale of the organization | Economic Impact Engaging Our Employees Addressing Barriers to Health 2019 Form 10-K (pages 19, 33–34, 38) |
| GRI 102-8 | Information on employees and other workers | Employees Overview Diversity & Inclusion |
| GRI 102-9 | Supply chain | Manufacturing & Supply Sourcing & Supplier Relations |
| GRI 102-10 | Organizational changes during the reporting period | No significant organizational changes occurred in 2019 Our Business |
| GRI 102-11 | Precautionary principle | Product Stewardship |
| GRI 102-12 | External initiatives | We engage in many external initiatives throughout our business, and they are highlighted throughout this site. |
| GRI 102-13 | Membership associations | Public Policy |
| GRI 102: Strategy | ||
| GRI 102-14 | CEO Letter | Letter from Our CEO |
| GRI 102: Ethics & Integrity | ||
| GRI 102-16 | Values, principles, standards, and norms of behavior | Code of Conduct |
| GRI 102-17 | Mechanisms for advice and concerns about ethics | Compliance |
| GRI 102: Governance | ||
| GRI 102-18 | Governance structure of the organization | Corporate Governance Leadership |
| GRI 102-19 | Delegation of responsibility | Corporate Governance |
| GRI 102-20 | High-level accountability for sustainability topics | Corporate Governance |
| GRI 102-21 | Access to the board | Corporate Governance |
| GRI 102-22 | Composition of the board and its committees | Leadership |
| GRI 102-23 | Chair of the highest governance body Kenneth C. Frazier is both the chairman of the board and the chief executive officer | Corporate Governance 2020 Proxy Statement (page 15) |
| GRI 102-24 | Board nomination and selection processes | Corporate Governance |
| GRI 102-25 | Board conflicts of interest | Corporate Governance |
| GRI 102-26 | Board and executive roles | Corporate Governance |
| GRI 102-29 | Board identification of ESG impacts, risks and opportunities | Corporate Governance Board of Directors |
| GRI 102-30 | Board ESG review of risk management processes | Corporate Governance |
| GRI 102-33 | Board communication | 2020 Proxy Statement (page 25) |
| GRI 102-34 | Concerns communicated to the board | 2020 Proxy Statement (pages 23–24) |
| GRI 102-35 | Remuneration policies for the board and senior executives | 2020 Proxy Statement (pages 38–40, 44–59) |
| GRI 102-36 | Process for determining remuneration | 2020 Proxy Statement (pages 38–40, 44–59) |
| GRI 102-37 | Remuneration shareholder resolutions | 2020 Proxy Statement (page 41) |
| GRI 102-38 | CEO/employee pay ratio | 2020 Proxy Statement (page 60) |
| GRI 102: Stakeholder Engagement | ||
| GRI 102-40 | Stakeholder engagement | Stakeholder Engagement |
| GRI 102-41 | Union representation | Engaging Our Employees |
| GRI 102-42 | Stakeholder identification | Stakeholder Engagement |
| GRI 102-43 | Approach to stakeholder engagement | Stakeholder Engagement Employee Wellbeing |
| GRI 102: Reporting Practice | ||
| GRI 102-45 | Entities included in financial statements | Reporting Overview |
| GRI 102-46 | Defining report content and topic boundaries | Reporting Overview Materiality |
| GRI 102-47 | Material aspects included | Materiality |
| GRI 102-48 | Restatements | Any restatements of information are included in the footnotes beneath the performance data tables |
| GRI 102-49 | Reporting changes | None |
| GRI 102-50 | Reporting period | January 1, 2019–December 31, 2019 |
| GRI 102-51 | Date of most recent report | Released in November 2019, covering 2018 programs and data |
| GRI 102-52 | Reporting cycle | Annual |
| GRI 102-53 | Report contact | Contact Us |
| GRI 102-54 | Claims of reporting in accordance with the GRI Standards | While many of the disclosures are in alignment with the Core level, this is a GRI-referenced report |
| GRI 102-55 | GRI content index | GRI Index |
| GRI 102-56 | External assurance | FAQ |
| Economic | ||
| GRI 201: Economic performance | ||
| GRI 201-1 | Direct economic value generated and distributed | Economic Impact Addressing Barriers to Health Supporting Our Communities Impact Investing Social Investments Compensation & Benefits 2019 Form 10-K (page 38, 50) |
| GRI 201-2 | Financial implications and other risks and opportunities due to climate change | Climate Change & Energy Use Water 2019 Form 10-K (page 20) CDP Climate Change (CC5.1–CC5.1c, CC6.1–CC6.1c) |
| GRI 201-3 | Benefit plan coverage | Compensation & Benefits 2019 Form 10-K (pages 108–114) |
| GRI 203: Indirect economic impacts | ||
| Management approach | Explanation of the material topic, its boundary, how the topic is managed, and mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the company's strategy | Affordability Access to Health Overview |
| GRI 203-1 | Infrastructure investments and services supported | Impact Investing Social Investments MSD for Mothers Supporting Our Communities Addressing Barriers to Health |
| GRI 203-2 | Indirect economic impacts | Access to Health Overview Product Registration U.S. Patient Assistance Programs Affordability Social Investments Supporting Our Communities Women’s Health |
| GRI 205: Anti-corruption | ||
| Management approach | Explanation of the material topic, its boundary, how the topic is managed, and mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the company's strategy | Code of Conduct Sourcing & Supplier Relations Compliance Engaging with Health Care Professionals |
| GRI 205-2 | Communications and training on anti-corruption | Code of Conduct Sourcing & Supplier Relations Compliance Engaging with Health Care Professionals |
| GRI 206: Anti-competitive behavior | ||
| Management approach | Explanation of the material topic, its boundary, how the topic is managed, and mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the company's strategy | Sales & Marketing Practices Compliance Code of Conduct |
| GRI 206-1 | Anti-competitive behavior | Sales & Marketing Practices Direct-to-Consumer Advertising 2019 Form 10-K (pages 101–105) |
| Environmental | ||
| GRI 301-2 | Recycled inputs | Waste Management |
| GRI 302: Energy | ||
| GRI 302-1 | Energy consumption within the organization (Scopes 1 + 2) | Climate Change & Energy Use CDP Climate Change |
| GRI 302-4 | Energy reductions | Climate Change & Energy Use CDP Climate Change |
| GRI 303: Water | ||
| GRI 303-1 | Water as a shared resource | Water CDP Water Security |
| GRI 303-2 | Water discharge-related impacts | CDP Water Security |
| GRI 303-3 | Water withdrawal | Water |
| GRI 305: Emissions | ||
| GRI 305-1 | Direct GHG emissions (Scope 1) | Climate Change & Energy Use CDP Climate Change |
| GRI 305-2 | Indirect GHG emissions (Scope 2) | Climate Change & Energy Use CDP Climate Change |
| GRI 305-3 | Other indirect GHG emissions (Scope 3) | Climate Change & Energy Use CDP Climate Change |
| GRI 305-5 | Reduction of GHG emissions | Climate Change & Energy Use |
| GRI 305-6 | Ozone-depleting substances (ODS) | Air Emissions |
| GRI 305-7 | NOx, SOx and other emissions | Air Emissions |
| GRI 306: Effluents and waste | ||
| GRI 306-2 | Waste by type and disposal method | Waste Management |
| GRI 306-3 | Significant spills | EHS Management & Compliance |
| GRI 307: Environmental compliance | ||
| Management approach | Explanation of the material topic, its boundary, how the topic is managed, and mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the company's strategy | EHS Management & Compliance Product Stewardship |
| GRI 307-1 | Non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations | EHS Management & Compliance 2019 Form 10-K (pages 105) |
| GRI 308: Supplier environmental assessment | ||
| GRI 308-1 | New suppliers screened using environmental criteria | Sourcing & Supplier Relations |
| Social | ||
| GRI 401: Employment | ||
| Management approach | Explanation of the material topic, its boundary, how the topic is managed, and mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the company's strategy | Engaging Our Employees Global Diversity & Inclusion Employee Wellbeing Learning & Development Compliance Sourcing & Supplier Relations Human Rights |
| GRI 401-1 | New employee hires and turnover | Engaging Our Employees |
| GRI 401-2 | Benefits provided to full-time employees | Employee Wellbeing Compensation & Benefits |
| GRI 401-3 | Parental leave | Compensation & Benefits |
| GRI 403: Occupational health & safety | ||
| Management approach | Explanation of the material topic, its boundary, how the topic is managed, and mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the company's strategy | Employee Safety EHS Management & Compliance |
| GRI 403-1 | Occupational health and safety management system | Employee Safety EHS Management & Compliance |
| GRI 403-2 | Hazard identification, risk assessment, and incident investigation | EHS Management & Compliance |
| GRI 403-3 | Occupational health services | EHS Management & Compliance |
| GRI 403-5 | Worker training on occupational health and safety | EHS Management & Compliance |
| GRI 403-6 | Promotion of worker health | Employee Safety |
| GRI 403-9 | Work-related injuries | Employee Safety |
| GRI 404: Training and education | ||
| GRI 404-1 | Average hours of employee training | Learning & Development |
| GRI 404-2 | Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs | Learning & Development |
| GRI 404-3 | Percentage of employees receiving regular performance reviews | Learning & Development |
| GRI 405: Diversity and equal opportunity | ||
| Management approach | Explanation of the material topic, its boundary, how the topic is managed, and mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the company's strategy | Global Diversity & Inclusion |
| GRI 405-1 | Diversity of governance bodies and employees | Global Diversity & Inclusion |
| GRI 412: Human rights assessment | ||
| Management approach | Explanation of the material topic, its boundary, how the topic is managed, and mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the company's strategy | Human Rights Sourcing & Supplier Relations |
| GRI 412-2 | Employee training on human rights policies and procedures | Code of Conduct |
| GRI 412-3 | Investment agreements and contracts that include human rights clauses or underwent screening | Sourcing & Supplier Relations Human Rights |
| GRI 414: Supplier social assessment | ||
| GRI 414-1 | New suppliers screened using social criteria | Sourcing & Supplier Relations |
| GRI 415: Public policy | ||
| GRI 415-1 | Political contributions | Public Policy |
| GRI 416: Customer health and safety | ||
| Management approach | Explanation of the material topic, its boundary, how the topic is managed, and mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the company's strategy | Manufacturing & Supply Product & Patient Safety Quality & Safety Standards |
| GRI 416-2 | Incidents of non-compliance concerning the health and safety impacts of products and services | Quality & Safety Standards |
| GRI 417: Marketing and labeling | ||
| GRI 417-1 | Requirements for product and service information and labeling | Product & Patient Safety Health Literacy |
| GRI 417-2 | Incidents of non-compliance concerning product and service information and labeling | Sales & Marketing Practices |
| GRI 417-3 | Incidents of non-compliance concerning marketing communications | Sales & Marketing Practices Product & Patient Safety |
| GRI 418: Customer privacy | ||
| Management approach | Explanation of the material topic, its boundary, how the topic is managed, and mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the company's strategy | Privacy Cybersecurity Clinical Research |
| GRI 418-1 | Substantiated complaints regarding breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data | Privacy |
