The United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda is a global plan to promote sustainable peace and prosperity and to protect our planet. Since 2016, countries and organizations have been working to implement this agenda with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our aim is for our business activities to create shared value that is both measurable and makes a recognizable contribution to society. We rely on the power of science and technology to make a positive impact.
Doing our part
As part of our sustainability strategy, we focus on the five SDGs on which we have the strongest impact through our entrepreneurial actions.
Our contribution can be summarized as follows:
SDG 3 – Good health and well-being
With our products, we positively impact the health and quality of life of people around the world. Through technological and scientific innovations, we are also helping to improve the health of underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries.
SDG 8 – Decent work and economic growth
We see it as our responsibility to respect human rights both within our company and along our supply chain. That is why we are dedicated to upholding appropriate and fair labor and social standards. We want to drive sustainable economic growth through progressive resource efficiency.
SDG 9 – Industry, innovation and infrastructure
We use our expertise in science and technology to make our products, processes and infrastructure sustainable. In addition, we want to promote the work of scientists worldwide with our innovations and support programs.
SDG 12 – Responsible consumption and production
We use resources efficiently and reduce waste and emissions. We pay attention to this in our product development and in our manufacturing activities. We also help our customers to manufacture their products more sustainably and efficiently and to achieve their own sustainability goals.
SDG 17 – Partnerships for the goals
We need strong partners in order to drive sustainable development within our company and beyond and to better meet societal challenges. We therefore collaborate with a wide range of organizations, companies, federations, and networks.
Through our sustainability strategy, we help to solve challenges globally, and not only within these five SDGs. Our management approaches and projects also support SDG 4 (Quality education), SDG 5 (Gender equality) – supplemented by diversity and inclusion, SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and clean energy), and SDG 13 (Climate action).
Detailed information on our quantitative and qualitative contributions to the SDGs is provided in our interactive tool.
Our contribution in detail
In our online report, we offer an interactive tool to visualize how we contribute to the SDGs in qualitative and quantitative terms.
Clicking on one of the highlighted SDGs provides further information for each of the targets on how we specifically support them through our management approaches, initiatives and projects.
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Focus SDG
SDG target Our material topics 3.3 Health for all By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases. 3.4 Health for all By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being. 3.7 Health for all By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including for family planning, information and education and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs. 3.8 Health for all, Product safety and quality Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential healthcare services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. 3.9 Environmental protection, Resource efficiency, Product safety and quality By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination. 3.b Health for all, Ethical conduct Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all. 3.c Health for all Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States. -
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SDG target 3.3
Up to 90 million school-aged children per year to receive praziquantel treatments by 2030.
How we contribute: One of our priority areas is the control and elimination of schistosomiasis through scientific and technological innovation. Our strategy is to develop and provide medicines, improve diagnosis, counter disease transmission, increase disease control, expand access to healthcare, and strengthen local health systems. Furthermore, we are focusing on eliminating malaria as a public health problem.
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SDG target 3.4
How we contribute: As a science-driven organization, we apply our knowledge and curiosity to prevent and control non-communicable diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and hypertension. We take a partnership approach to improving access to health in low- and middle-income countries.
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SDG target 3.7
~4 million babies born with the help of our products.
How we contribute: We are the world market leader in fertility treatments. We want to help couples realize their dream of having a baby. Building on our fertility expertise dating back to 1906, we continuously develop innovations in fertility. Additionally, we advocate for public policies that increase access to fertility treatments globally.
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SDG target 3.8
With our support, more than 930 GPHF Minilabs help to identify counterfeit medicines worldwide.
How we contribute: Our Global Health Strategy is designed to overcome access barriers for underserved populations and communities in low- and middle-income countries in an economically viable and sustainable manner. We secure our products against counterfeiting and are resolutely committed to fighting product-related crime.
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SDG target 3.9
90 of our sites worldwide are currently covered by the ISO 14001 certificate.
How we contribute: The safety of our plants, processes and transport is a key element of our environmental stewardship practices, allowing us to protect our workforce and the people in the immediate vicinity of our sites. Since 2009, our company has held an ISO 14001 Group certificate that requires all production sites with more than 50 employees to implement an environmental management system with predefined indicators for factors such as greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption.
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SDG target 3.b
15 research projects were awarded with € 30,000 each through our Schistosomiasis Research Grant Initiative in 2021. Over 70% of the participants came from low- and middle-income countries.
How we contribute: We are dedicated to accelerating innovation and advancing science for the most neglected populations. That is why we catalyze research in an open innovation spirit and intend to reduce financial hurdles. We support a sustainable approach to intellectual property that enables access to health. We are committed to refraining from enforcing patents in a majority of low- and middle-income countries.
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SDG target 3.c
We supported the FAST (FGS Accelerated Scale Together) program to train more than 300 health professionals in sub-Saharan Africa which resulted in over 200 action plans in 20 countries to address FGS.
How we contribute: We engage in building capacity and expertise across the value chain, with the intent of strengthening health systems and making them more resilient to health crises. We support a number of initiatives that focus on training medical staff to detect and treat a variety of diseases such as Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS).
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SDG target Our material topics 4.1 - By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. 4.3 Diversity and inclusion, Employee development By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university. 4.4 Employee development By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. -
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SDG target 4.1
How we contribute: Education is one of the focus areas of our community engagement. We therefore sponsor many projects aimed at creating and supporting the next generation of scientists.
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SDG target 4.3
67% of our graduate hires in 2021 were women.
How we contribute: We strongly support equal opportunities for all genders. In addition to recruiting talented students, we provide financial assistance through scholarships, we cooperate with universities, student initiatives and associations and we offer global trainee programs, with participants coming from diverse backgrounds. We continually invest in new technologies and integrate them into our vocational training programs.
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SDG target 4.4
We support our employees’ personal and professional development in line with their strengths, ambitions and competencies. Our employees can use our learning management system to register for seminars and e-learning courses as part of their individual development plans. In 2021, 100% of our employees took part in a training. Overall, more than 6.5 million training courses were completed.
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SDG target Our material topics 5.1 Diversity and inclusion End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. 5.4 Health for all Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate. 5.5 Diversity and inclusion Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. -
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SDG target 5.1
How we contribute: We are committed to providing a workplace in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. We do not tolerate any conduct that creates, encourages or permits an offensive, humiliating or intimidating work environment. We are signatory of various declarations underlining our commitment to equality, fairness, inclusion, and tolerance in the workplace and we joined the UN Target Gender Equality initiative in 2021.
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SDG target 5.4
How we contribute: We are determined to better understand and support the emotional, financial and health implications of being an unpaid caregiver. We focus on raising awareness in the media, broadening stakeholder engagement, shaping policy, and engaging healthcare systems. In 2021, we published a global report on the unmet physical, financial and emotional well-being challenges unpaid carers face amid the Covid-19 crisis.
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SDG target 5.5
>1,400 women held leadership roles in our company in 2021. This represents 36% of our leadership team.
How we contribute: We are aiming for gender parity in leadership positions by 2030. We are building on the progress we have made: In 2021, we increased the share of women in leadership roles to 36% (2020: 35%) and maintained a stable 43% proportion of women in the global workforce. We support awareness campaigns for female empowerment and how unconscious bias influences us in our daily working life
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SDG target Our material topics 6.2 Health for all By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations. 6.3 Resource efficiency By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally. 6.4 Resource efficiency By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity. -
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SDG target 6.2
How we contribute: We support initiatives and projects that aim to increase access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation within communities and health centers and prevent transmission of diseases by providing sanitary infrastructure and new access-to-water technologies.
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SDG target 6.3
How we contribute: We are constantly working to optimize our production and cleaning processes to save water and minimize residues. By 2030, we want to ensure that residues of environmentally relevant trace substances in the wastewater generated by all production sites will be below the “no-effect” concentration.
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SDG target 6.4
How we contribute: We want to minimize any negative influence we have on the water situation in the vicinity of our sites. Special requirements as regards water management are placed upon our locations in areas where water is scarce. By 2025, we aim to decrease our water intensity footprint by 10% compared with 2020.
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SDG target Our material topics 7.2 Climate action By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. 7.3 Climate action, Sustainable products By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency. -
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SDG target 7.2
How we contribute: We will step up the purchase of electricity from renewable sources. By 2030, we are aiming to cover 80% of the electricity we purchase from renewable sources.
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SDG target 7.3
How we contribute: We implement a variety of energy efficiency measures such as energy-saving lighting concepts and optimized cooling processes to decrease our energy footprint. Our products significantly help our customers make products that may use less energy on the end user side, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Focus SDG
SDG target Our material topics 8.2 Sustainable products Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high value-added and labor-intensive sectors. 8.4 Sustainable products, Resource efficiency Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavor to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-year framework of programs on sustainable consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead. 8.5 Diversity and inclusion, Attractive Employer By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value. 8.6 Attractive Employer, Employee development By 2030, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training. 8.7 Human rights, Sustainable supply chain Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labor in all its forms. 8.8 Health and safety, Sustainable supply chain Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment. -
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SDG target 8.2
We will invest € 600 million over the next five years into our M Venture corporate venture capital fund to support innovative companies in developing breakthrough ideas. Our total R&D spending amounts to € 2.4 billion.
How we contribute: We translate science and technology into innovation, which we drive from within and through external collaborations with the goal of contributing to human progress. We are constantly on the lookout for groundbreaking technological developments and trends. We facilitate digital innovation across our businesses and beyond our company’s current scope. In 2021, we established the “Sustainability Hub” joint research platform with the Technical University (TU) of Darmstadt.
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SDG target 8.4
>1,400 of our Life Science products are greener alternatives to conventional solutions.
How we contribute: In all our business sectors we aim to reduce any adverse impact our products may have on health and the environment. In our Life Science business sector, we seek to make our products more sustainable, efficient and user-friendly. In our Healthcare business sector, we are developing an overarching strategy to make our medicines, our medical devices and their packaging more ecologically sustainable and user-friendly. In our Electronics business sector, we have enriched our product development process with the principle that it should avoid highly hazardous materials wherever possible. We prioritize new green and innovative materials that deliver sustainable value to our customers.
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SDG-Ziel 8.5
Almost 4,500 employees are involved in one or more employee resource groups across the globe.
How we contribute: The uniqueness of our people brings science, curiosity and our high-impact culture to life. We continue to create a truly inclusive culture and we nurture an environment where there is a strong sense of belonging for all so that we can drive the best outcomes. Ultimately, we are creating opportunity and enabling advancement for employees around the globe. With over 40 employee resource groups, we build awareness of matters impacting our diverse workforce through programs and open dialogue.
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SDG-Ziel 8.6
95% of our apprentices and graduates of dual education programs are subsequently hired.
How we contribute: We offer apprenticeships across 30 job roles in Germany, primarily in production, laboratory work and office administration and we enable young adults to pursue a dual education program. We provide permanent employment contracts to all graduates in occupations for which we have long-term demand. University graduates can apply for a position in our company directly or complete one of our trainee programs. Additionally, we offer internships, organize events to give students an insight into our company and take part in job fairs in Germany and abroad.
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SDG-Ziel 8.7
How we contribute: We do not tolerate any business activities or relationships that lead to violations of human rights. We conduct internal audits to assess whether the workplace requirements of our Human Rights Charter are observed at our sites and we raise awareness among our employees. We expect our suppliers to share our ethical, social and compliance standards and apply these within their own supply chains.
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SDG target 8.8
1.2 Lost Time Injury Rate (LTIR) = workplace accidents resulting in missed days of work per one million hours worked.
How we contribute: We track workplace accidents that result in missed days of work per one million hours worked (LTIR) on a Group-wide level. In 2021, we set a new workplace accident reduction target, specifically to bring our LTIR below 1.0 by 2025. We are committed to respecting the international social and labor standards set by the International Labour Organization.
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Focus SDG
SDG target Our material topics 9.4 Climate action, Resource efficiency By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities. 9.5 Sustainable products Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending. -
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SDG target 9.4
We aim to achieve climate neutrality by 2040.
How we contribute: Our production processes use considerable amounts of energy, water and materials. However, we realize that natural resources are precious and we want to use increasingly scarce resources as efficiently as possible. We comply with strict environmental protection requirements at all our production sites and are constantly adapting to new regulations.
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SDG target 9.5
12% of the share of our net sales invested in R&D in 2021.
How we contribute: Science is at the heart of everything we do. We conduct research and development (R&D) worldwide in order to develop new products and services designed to improve the quality of life of patients and satisfy the needs of our customers. Further optimizing the relevance and efficiency of our research and development activities is one of our top priorities. By providing financial support for research conducted outside our company and granting awards, we are also stimulating scientific progress of researchers worldwide.
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Focus SDG
SDG target Our material topics 12.1 - Implement the 10-year framework of programs on sustainable consumption and production, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries. 12.2 Environmental protection, Resource efficiency, Sustainable products By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources. 12.4 Environmental protection, Product safety and quality, Health and safety By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. 12.5 Resource efficiency By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse. -
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SDG target 12.1
How we contribute: We have made sustainability an essential component of the Group’s strategy and aim to ensure that all our businesses create value for society without generating subsequent costs for society. We are working towards strategic sustainability targets. In 2021, we defined a set of indicators with which we can track our progress towards these targets.
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SDG target 12.2
We aim to reduce our Water Intensity Score by 2025 by 10% (baseline: 2020).
How we contribute: Our production processes use considerable amounts of energy, water and materials. However, we realize that natural resources are precious and we strive to use energy, water and materials as efficiently as possible. In order to improve our water efficiency, we defined an intensity value, the “Water Intensity Score”, which sets the water consumption of a site in relation to the local availability of water and the number of hours worked at the site.
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SDG target 12.4
No significant incident-related spills were recorded at any of our production, research and warehouse sites Group-wide in 2021.
How we contribute: The safety of our plants, processes and transport is a key element of our environmental stewardship practices, allowing us to protect both our workforce and the people in the immediate vicinity of our sites. We employ strict safety standards for our production processes and for our chemical products. We track EHS performance indicators at all production and warehouse facilities as well as at major research sites, including accidents and near misses. We investigate each incident and devise appropriate countermeasures.
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SDG target 12.5
5% reduction in the Merck Waste Score by 2025 is our target in order to decrease the environmental footprint of our waste (baseline: 2016).
How we contribute: We generally try to prevent or reduce the generation of waste, for instance, by developing new production processes or optimizing existing ones. In addition, we are striving to use waste disposal pathways that are more environmentally sustainable, such as recycling or incineration, with energy recovery whenever possible. We support the circular economy approach.
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SDG target Our material topics 13.2 Climate action Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. -
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SDG target 13.2
How we contribute: By 2030, we want to reduce our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 50% compared with 2020. Additionally, we plan to reduce our Scope 3 emissions from the value chain by 1,500 metric kilotons of CO2 equivalents. By 2040, we want to achieve climate neutrality. Our company has also decided to join the Science Based Targets initiative, committing itself to helping achieve the Paris Agreement goals.
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Focus SDG
SDG target Our material topics 17.6 Health for all, Ethical conduct Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge-sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism. 17.9 Health for all Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation. 17.17 Health for all Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. -
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SDG target 17.6
250 compounds from our proprietary chemical library are publicly available for use in research on infectious diseases. In 2021, this library was accessed 20 times for screening in 17 different indications.
How we contribute: We support a reliable and transparent framework of intellectual property that allows sustainable investment in research and development for innovations to address global health challenges. Our Open Global Health Library publicly shares compounds from our proprietary chemical library that may be used for infectious diseases research.
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SDG target 17.9
We implemented 20 collaborative initiatives in 2021 to enhance health capacity in and for low- and middle-income countries.
How we contribute: We aim to sustainably strengthen disease prevention as well as resilience of health systems in low- and middle-income countries. Our efforts entail employing science and technology innovation, increasing country preparedness, partnering to enhance disease awareness, and enabling access to medicines for patients in need. We also aim to optimize the monitoring and evaluation of health initiatives at country level through data processing and digitalization.
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SDG target 17.17
We are actively involved in collaborations and dialogues with more than 100 stakeholders to advance health in and for low- and middle-income countries.
How we contribute: We partner with a wide range of stakeholders, including international organizations like WHO, governments, NGOs, academic institutions, the private sector, and local communities to address global health challenges for the benefit of society and our company.
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