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8.02.2007 - 04:30pm ET

CSR News from:	Baxter International Inc.
News Categories:	Research, Reports & Publications
	CSR - General

Baxter Releases Eighth Annual Sustainability Report

Report Highlights Long-Term Sustainability Priorities and 2006 Social, Economic and Environmental Performance

(CSRwire) DEERFIELD, IL. - August 2, 2007 - Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) today released its 2006 Sustainability Report - Connected by a Higher Purpose, which highlights the company's 2006 social, economic and environmental performance. For the first time, Baxter has outlined broad sustainability priorities in the report that will direct companywide sustainability efforts into the future.

The sustainability priorities fall into three broad categories: Baxter's employees, its operations and products, and the world in which the company operates. Areas of focus include Baxter's workplace, supply chain, ethical conduct and legal compliance, impact on the environment, as well as access to healthcare and education. More details are available at http://sustainability.baxter.com.

Performance highlights from the 2006 report include:

Continued work with health authorities around the world in the development and production of a candidate H5N1 vaccine to protect citizens in the event of an avian flu pandemic;

Making Baxter corporate headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois, a "carbon-neutral" facility, thereby offsetting 100 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity and natural gas at the campus with renewable, clean energy;

Significant progress achieved against the company's environmental, health and safety goals, including a 9 percent reduction in water usage and a 5 percent reduction in energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions per unit of sales;

The earning of a "Green-e" label - the first in the medical industry - for Baxter's new AVIVA intravenous solution container. Baxter purchased renewable energy certificates to offset 100 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the electricity to manufacture AVIVA; and

Total giving by Baxter and The Baxter International Foundation in excess of $35 million, including product donations, cash contributions and foundation grants.

"Being a great company requires a commitment to address pressing social and environmental concerns," said Robert L. Parkinson, Jr., Baxter's chairman and chief executive officer. "By defining Baxter's long-term sustainability priorities, we're better positioned to focus our resources where we can have the greatest impact to continue Baxter's leadership in sustainability."

Whether producing breakthrough innovations to improve patient safety, responding to the critical healthcare needs of those in crisis, or protecting the health of the planet through environmental stewardship, the report's theme illustrates how Baxter employees are Connected by a Higher Purpose to help save and sustain lives.

Baxter's comprehensive 2006 Sustainability Report is available online at http://sustainability.baxter.com. An abridged print version and a summary brochure are also available online or via e-mail at onebaxter@baxter.com. The report is aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines and features in-depth reporting across key sustainability topics, including community support, employees, environment, health and safety, ethics and compliance, governance, and product responsibility.

About Baxter

Baxter's commitment to sustainability spans three decades. The company 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.

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

For more information please contact:

Elaine Salewske, Communications Manager
Baxter International Inc.
847-948-3297
847-948-3952
sustainability.baxter.com

Deborah Spak, Communications Director
Baxter International Inc.
847-948-2349
847-948-3952
sustainability.baxter.com

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