Merck opens Ireland’s first climate-neutral life science manufacturing facility to boost filtration capacity

Merck opens Ireland’s first climate-neutral life science manufacturing facility to boost filtration capacity

(IN BRIEF) Merck has officially opened its first fully climate-neutral manufacturing facility in Cork, Ireland, with a €150 million investment that will create more than 200 jobs by 2028. The 3,000-square-meter site will produce advanced filtration devices essential for the production of vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and emerging therapies. Powered entirely by renewable energy and equipped with a heat recovery system, the facility will significantly reduce CO2 emissions and recycle up to 95% of water used in its processes. The Cork facility is part of Merck’s €440 million investment in Ireland and its broader €2 billion global expansion plan, aimed at meeting growing demand for biopharmaceutical manufacturing while advancing sustainability goals.

(PRESS RELEASE) DARMSTADT, 19-Seo-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Merck, the science and technology company, has inaugurated its new €150 million filter manufacturing facility in Blarney Business Park, Cork, Ireland — the company’s first site designed for fully climate-neutral operations. The milestone marks a major step in Merck’s ambition to achieve climate neutrality by 2040, while strengthening its supply resilience in Europe through an “in-region-for-region” production strategy.

The 3,000-square-meter cleanroom facility will produce advanced filtration devices critical to the manufacturing of vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and next-generation therapies such as cell and gene treatments. By adding local production capacity, Merck aims to reduce cross-border dependencies and ensure reliable access to essential technologies for biopharmaceutical manufacturers across Europe.

“Ireland is a leading hub for biopharmaceutical manufacturing and innovation for Europe and globally,” said Jean-Charles Wirth, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO Life Science. “By expanding manufacturing in Cork, we reinforce our in-region-for-region model, reducing risks for supply chains and providing manufacturers with the reliable access to filtration technologies they need to deliver life-changing therapies.”

Production at the Blarney site is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2025. The facility will manufacture filtration products used in aseptic processing, tangential-flow filtration, and virus filtration — core technologies that maintain purity, enable efficient purification, and ensure patient safety in therapeutic production.

Designed with sustainability at its core, the Cork site will operate on 100% renewable electricity, supported by an innovative heat recovery system projected to avoid up to 61 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. Additionally, the facility is engineered to reuse up to 95% of the high-purity reverse osmosis water required for its filtration processes.

The investment forms part of Merck’s €440 million expansion in Ireland, which also includes developments at its Carrigtwohill site. Together, the projects represent the company’s largest Life Science investment in the country to date. They also contribute to Merck’s €2 billion global expansion program launched in 2020 to meet rising demand for life-saving therapies across Europe, the United States, and China. By 2028, the Blarney facility is expected to support more than 200 jobs, reinforcing both the region’s role as a life science hub and Merck’s commitment to sustainable innovation.

About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. More than 62,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2024, Merck generated sales of € 21.2 billion in 65 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics.

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SOURCE: Merck