Merck’s ZooMAb^® Antibodies Earns First-Ever ACT Label from My Green Lab

News Release

• ZooMAb^® antibodies became the first-ever antibody to be recognized for low-environmental impact by My Green Lab
• ZooMAb^® antibodies ranked most impactful on the environment in the chemicals and reagents category by My Green Lab
• ACT label enables scientists to choose more sustainable products

Burlington, Massachusetts, April 14, 2022 – Merck, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, today announced that its ZooMAb^® recombinant antibodies platform earned Accountability, Consistency and Transparency (ACT) label from My Green Lab, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a culture of sustainability in science.

The first-ever antibody to achieve ACT label designation, ZooMAb^® antibodies received the lowest Environmental Impact Factor (EIF) scores in the chemicals and reagents category­.

“Helping our customers and suppliers to reduce their impact on the environment is a key part of our sustainability strategy,” said Jeffrey Whitford, Head of Sustainability and Social Business Innovation, Merck. “By showing how products rate in different categories, such as manufacturing; energy and water use; packaging; and end-of-life, the ACT label gives scientists another data point to help increase their sustainability. We are proud to be part of this program and are thrilled to achieve one of the top ranking EIF scores for our ZooMAb^® antibodies.”

Unlike traditional monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, made from identical immune cells from an animal-sourced parent cell, ZooMAb^® antibodies use recombinant technology. This offers an endless and consistent supply, while reducing the use of animals in research.

ZooMAb^® antibodies can be shipped at room temperature and then stored between 2 °C and 8 °C, while traditional mAbs must be shipped and stored between 2 °C and 8 °C, eliminating the need for specially insulated, ice-cooled containers that contribute to high packaging material consumption and transport emissions. Shipping ZooMAb ^® antibodies, which weigh 2.5 g or about as heavy as a penny, at room temperature, allows for more opportunities to eventually ship the product in much smaller packaging, preventing the emission of around 175 metric tons of CO2 per year by 2025.

In addition to innovation and packaging, the following factors contributed to the low EIF score:

• The manufacturing facility where the ZooMAb^® antibodies are produced has implemented energy, water and waste reduction measures; produced renewable energy from a wind farm; and has an environmental management system program that is ISO 14001 certified.
• ZooMAb^® antibodies do not contain any Red List chemicals, CMRs, PBTs or GreenScreen Benchmark-1 chemicals.