2.21.2008 - 09:00am ET

(CSRwire) February 21, 2008 - Baxter recently celebrated the volunteer efforts of employees around the world; was awarded the Shingo Prize for excellence in manufacturing at its Cartago, Costa Rica facility; named to the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations and 100 Best Corporate Citizens lists; was recognized among leading green power purchasers by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and received the Corporate Citizen Award by the League of Women Voters of Illinois. Further information about Baxter's sustainability activities can be found on http://sustainability.baxter.com.

Baxter Exceeds Employee Volunteerism Commitment

In recognition of the company's 75 years of saving and sustaining lives, in October 2006 Baxter announced its commitment to complete 156,000 hours of employee volunteerism – the equivalent of 40 hours of volunteer work per week for 75 years. By October 18, 2007 employees surpassed the goal, recording an astonishing 176,000 hours of personal and company-sponsored volunteer work. Baxter employees volunteered on behalf of and supported hundreds of organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, United Way and local food banks. In recognition of this tremendous effort, Baxter has launched a Global Service Recognition Program to recognize employees who continue to advance the company's legacy of volunteerism and aid in Baxter's continuing drive to be an active part of the community. The program will salute and celebrate community-minded individuals who volunteer more than 75 hours at the end of the year with a company donation to a pre-approved charity of choice.

Baxter Facility Recognized with Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing

Baxter's manufacturing facility in Cartago, Costa Rica has been recognized with the 2008 Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. The facility – the first to be awarded the Shingo Prize outside North America – is being honored for its achievements in driving higher quality and improvements in productivity, manufacturing cycle time and customer lead-time. In addition, in 2007 Baxter Cartago became the first manufacturing facility in Costa Rica to attain carbon neutral recognition.

Baxter Recognized Among the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations

For the fourth consecutive year, Baxter has been recognized as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World by Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, an internationally recognized investment research and advisory firm. Baxter is one of three healthcare companies globally, and the only U.S. healthcare company, to have been recognized in the Global 100 each year since the list was first published in 2005. Baxter is one of 17 U.S. companies applauded for corporate sustainability performance in the 2008 list. The Global 100 was announced on January 28, 2008 during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The Global 100 is selected from a pool of 1,800 publicly-traded international companies to form a list of those that have the best developed abilities, relative to their peers, to manage the environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities that they face. For more information about the list, visit www.global100.org.

Baxter Included on 100 Best Corporate Citizens List

Based on its corporate social responsibility performance, Baxter has been ranked in Corporate Responsibility Officer magazine's 100 Best Corporate Citizens list. Released February 20, 2008, the annual survey is drawn from U.S. firms in the Russell 1000 Index. This is the seventh year Baxter has been included on the list. The list has gained national recognition as an indicator of best practices in the area of corporate responsibility. The 100 Best Corporate Citizens list was developed by Business Ethics magazine in 2000. For more information about the list, visit www.thecro.com.

Baxter Recognized Among Leading Green Power Purchasers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized Baxter for its leading efforts in purchasing green power and for its support and participation in the agency’s Fortune 500 Green Power Challenge. In 2007, Baxter's purchase of nearly 21 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power ranked the company number 26 among participating corporations. Baxter's purchase was a significant contributor to the EPA exceeding its five-billion kilowatt-hour challenge goal. View the complete Fortune 500 Green Power Partners list.

Baxter Receives Corporate Citizen Award for Environmental Sustainability

Baxter was presented the first annual Corporate Citizen Award for Environmental Sustainability by the League of Women Voters of Illinois. The award, presented at the organization's annual State of the State luncheon on January 24, 2008, recognizes excellence in advancing environmental sustainability. Baxter was honored for its leadership role in driving clean and green operations and reducing the quantity of its greenhouse gas emissions. For example, in 2007 Baxter made its headquarters in Deerfield, Ill. a carbon-neutral facility. Baxter is a founding member of the Chicago Climate Exchange and has a strong relationship with a number of sustainability-related organizations including the Pew Center for Global Climate Change, Ceres, GRI, Green Suppliers Network and National Environmental Performance Track.

About Baxter

Baxter's commitment to sustainability spans three decades. The company is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and has been recognized by Innovest Strategic Value Advisors as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World, by Corporate Responsibility Officer magazine as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens in the United States and by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. Baxter is a member of the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College, the Business Environmental Leadership Council of the Pew Center on Global Climate Exchange, the Chicago Climate Exchange, the U.S. EPA's Climate Leaders, the Ethics & Compliance Officer Association and Hospitals for a Healthy Environment. Baxter endorses the Ceres principles and is an organizational stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative. To learn more about Baxter's sustainability initiatives, please visit www.baxter.com/sustainability.

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), through its subsidiaries, assists healthcare professionals and their patients with the treatment of complex medical conditions, including hemophilia, immune disorders, cancer, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma and other conditions. The company applies its expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to make a meaningful difference in patients' lives.

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