Merck has inaugurated its first climate-neutral manufacturing facility in Ireland, a €150 million investment that will create more than 200 jobs by 2028 and expand production of critical filtration products used in vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and emerging cell and gene therapies.

The 3,000-square-meter facility, located in Blarney Business Park, Cork, will operate on 100% renewable electricity and incorporates an innovative heat recovery system, which Merck estimates will avoid up to 61 metric tons of CO2 equivalents annually. Up to 95% of high-purity reverse osmosis water from filtration production will be reused.

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

The new site will begin production in the fourth quarter of 2025, supporting aseptic processing, tangential-flow filtration, and virus filtration. These technologies are essential for controlling bioburden, streamlining purification, and removing viral contaminants, ensuring vaccines and therapeutics meet safety and purity standards.

Blarney complements Merck’s nearby Carrigtwohill site and is part of the company’s €440 million investment in Ireland, its largest Life Science expansion in the country to date. This is also part of Merck’s broader €2 billion Life Science global expansion program, launched in 2020, to meet growing demand for therapies across Europe, China, and the US.