Merck opens climate-neutral filtration facility in Cork

Merck has officially opened its €150 million filter manufacturing facility in Blarney Business Park, Cork, marking a key milestone in the company’s ambition to achieve climate neutrality by 2040. The 3,000-square-metre cleanroom facility is Merck’s first manufacturing site designed for fully climate-neutral operations.

The facility will support global demand for critical filtration products used in the production of vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and emerging therapies such as cell and gene treatments. By localising production in Europe, Merck aims to reduce cross-border dependencies, offering manufacturers reliable access to essential filtration technologies.

Jean-Charles Wirth, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO Life Science, noted that expanding manufacturing in Cork strengthens the in-region-for-region supply model, mitigating cross-border risks and bolstering Ireland’s status as a global biopharmaceutical hub.

Production is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025. The facility will manufacture filtration devices for aseptic processing, tangential-flow filtration, and virus filtration—critical components in most bioprocessing workflows. These technologies help control bioburden, streamline purification, and remove viral contaminants, ensuring vaccines and therapies meet the highest purity and safety standards.

Sustainability features include 100% renewable electricity, an innovative heat recovery system estimated to avoid up to 61 metric tons of CO2 annually, and the reuse of up to 95% of high-purity reverse osmosis water.

This facility forms part of Merck’s largest Life Science investment to date, a €440 million commitment in Ireland that is integral to the company’s €2 billion global expansion programme.

Discover how Merck’s Cork facility is redefining sustainable biomanufacturing in Europe.