GreenSpeed, Merck’s in-house developed automated sustainability assessment tool, was awarded the prestigious Deutscher Exzellenz Preis 2024 for its innovative approach to quantify central sustainability metrics in R&D and chemical manufacturing. This cutting-edge tool automates sustainability evaluations, providing real-time insights into key environmental metrics such as water and solvent intensity, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions. By seamlessly integrating with electronic laboratory notebooks, this tool enables faster, data-driven decisions early in the design process that drive more sustainable production methods.
Automating Sustainability Assessments
GreenSpeed stands out by connecting directly to electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs), providing immediate access to environmental data. This integration streamlines the often time-consuming process of sustainability evaluations, as key information is already captured in the laboratory’s digital systems. With just a click, the tool can generate detailed sustainability reports, completely eliminating manual data collection and accelerating the entire evaluation process.
Identifying Efficient and Green Production Methods
A major benefit of GreenSpeed is its ability to assess both simple chemical reactions and complex multi-step synthesis routes. Whether evaluating a single reaction or an entire process, the tool helps pinpoint areas for optimization, ensuring more efficient resource use and minimizing environmental impact. The tool also supports both small-scale experiments and large-scale industrial production, advancing sustainability across the entire chemical product lifecycle.
Filling Data Gaps with Expert Knowledge
GreenSpeed addresses data gaps by incorporating expert knowledge and synthesizing information from various sources. This comprehensive approach ensures accurate input-output data, making it easier to evaluate sustainability more precisely, identify inefficiencies in chemical processes and even quantify the effect of material recycling. With the combination of process data and environmental footprint data, the tool empowers the company to make informed decisions that foster sustainable product design and manufacturing.
Driving Sustainability through the SPEED Project
GreenSpeed is part of the SPEED (Sustainability-focused Process Evaluation, Engineering, and Design) project, which embeds sustainability criteria into R&D from early design through late-stage development. By automating sustainability assessments and providing a data-driven approach to process optimization, GreenSpeed plays a critical role in advancing greener chemical production methods, benefiting both the environment and human health.
Associated SDG targets
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