11.21.2007 - 02:26pm ET

(CSRwire) ABBOTT PARK, IL - November 21, 2007 – Abbott has received the annual Illinois Governor's Pollution Prevention Award for outstanding environmental excellence for the sixth time in the last seven years.

The 21st annual Governor's Pollution Prevention Awards recognize businesses and organizations in Illinois for significant achievements in protecting the environment and strengthening the economy. The award is administered by the Waste Management and Research Center (WMRC), a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

"These businesses and organizations have proven that pollution prevention makes good sense for the environment and economic health of Illinois," said George Vander Velde, director, WMRC. "They have improved their pollution prevention goals and saved millions of dollars in pollution control, waste disposal, energy and raw material costs."

Abbott was recognized for implementing pollution prevention projects at its pharmaceutical fermentation manufacturing operations in North Chicago, Ill., in 2006. These included making changes to two manufacturing processes that saved more than 3 million gallons of water a year. Abbott also adjusted another process to reduce the use of solvents and, in a different project, was able to segregate isopropyl alcohol (IPA) from other process materials for reuse, thereby minimizing the amount of IPA in the waste stream.

"Receiving this award affirms our belief at Abbott that reducing consumption and waste, and using more environmentally friendly materials, is critically important for our business and the local communities where our employees live and work," said
John C. Landgraf, senior vice president, Global Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Supply, Abbott. "These initiatives demonstrate that resource conservation projects can achieve the dual benefit of protecting the environment and delivering economic value."

About Abbott's Environmental Initiatives

Building on its longstanding commitment to responsible environmental practices, Abbott recently implemented several new initiatives to further reduce its impact on the environment, including:

Investing in renewable energy, including installing a large solar power system to produce electricity for the company's vascular plant in Temecula, Calif.

This ongoing commitment to sustainable business practices has led to Abbott being named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) in recognition of the company's leading economic, social and environmental performance. To learn more about Abbott's sustainability initiatives and to read or download the company's 2006 global citizenship report, visit www.abbott.com/citizenship.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs 65,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at www.abbott.com.

For more information please contact:

David Elliott
847-937-1939

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