In our second episode, we talk to Petra Wicklandt, Chief Sustainability Officer of Merck Group, about the role of CSO and the projects that Merck is working on to achieve their sustainability targets.

Petra highlights the importance of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the need for companies to report non-financial data. She also discusses Merck's climate transition plan and their access programs in the healthcare sector.

She shares her journey to becoming a CSO and the challenges and achievements she has experienced along the way. The episode concludes with a discussion on the future of the CSO role and the integration of sustainability into innovation.

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Takeaways

The role of a Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) is becoming increasingly important. Compliance is not enough, it’s necessary to think ahead and integrate sustainability into all functions of a company.

Sustainability reporting, including non-financial data, is a key aspect of the CSO role, with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive driving the need for companies to report on their sustainability efforts.

Merck Group is working on various projects to achieve their sustainability targets, including a climate transition plan, access programs in the healthcare sector, and offering ethical advice to colleagues in science and digital.

The CSO role requires a combination of hard work, resilience, and the ability to overcome obstacles in order to drive sustainability initiatives and make progress towards ambitious targets.

Sustainability and innovation go hand in hand, with the CSO playing a crucial role in ensuring that sustainability requirements are integrated into the development of new products and solutions.