Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) today issued its 2011 Sustainability Report, marking the 13th consecutive year the company has released a report about its social, environmental and economic performance. The report, available at http://sustainability.baxter.com, features progress toward the company's sustainability priorities and goals and its commitment to addressing the needs of stakeholders worldwide.

“At Baxter, sustainability is about creating lasting social, environmental and economic value by addressing the needs of our wide-ranging stakeholder base,” said Robert L. Parkinson, Jr., Baxter's chairman and chief executive officer. “We succeed as a business by operating responsibly in service of these diverse stakeholders – which, in turn, ensures we can continue to advance our sustainability priorities well into the future.”

Highlights from the 2011 report include:

• Reducing absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent since 2005, due in part to innovative renewable energy strategies such as using biomass fuels rather than fuel oil. For example, Baxter’s Alathur and Waluj, India, facilities use coconut shells, rice husks and sugar cane remnants as energy sources in boilers, which decreases fossil-fuel related greenhouse gas emissions, reduces energy costs and contributes to the local economy.

• Reducing absolute water use 6 percent since 2005, primarily through water conservation strategies. For example, Baxter’s Atlacomulco, Mexico, facility, located in a water-stressed region, reduced absolute water use by 26 percent compared to 2010 through innovative water reuse projects.

• Increasing access to healthcare through more than $80 million in combined giving from Baxter and The Baxter International Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm. Product donations helped people in 75 countries during the year, including contributions of intravenous (IV) antibiotics and other IV solutions following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and extreme rainfall and flooding in Thailand.

Baxter's nine sustainability priorities reflect issues of key concern to Baxter and its stakeholders and areas where the company is positioned to have a positive impact. Priorities include strengthening access to healthcare, enhancing math and science education, and a range of environmental initiatives such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation, and water use.

Baxter's 2011 Sustainability Report is aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines, which provide a uniform and transparent set of metrics to systematically report on sustainability initiatives and results.

Baxter Earns Sustainability Recognition

Based on its sustainability performance, Baxter has been included for the 11th year in Corporate Responsibility magazine's 100 Best Corporate Citizens list. Released on April 17, the annual survey draws from firms in the Russell 1000 Index and is based on more than 320 data points of publicly available information in seven categories: environment, climate change, employee relations, human rights, governance, finance, and philanthropy. For more information, see http://www.thecro.com/.

For the second consecutive year, Baxter is the leader of the Healthcare Products subsector of the latest Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes. Created in collaboration with Bloomberg, the Indexes analyze how the largest multinational companies in the United States manage and adapt to climate change, with a focus on innovation. For more information, see http://maplecroft.com/cii/.

Fourth Annual Baxter World Environment Week Features Philippe Cousteau, Jr.

Baxter’s fourth annual Baxter World Environment Week, held the first week of June to correspond with the United Nations’ World Environment Day, is Baxter’s signature initiative aimed at engaging and educating its employees on environmental sustainability. The initiative features opportunities for employees to participate in activities and learn about sustainable living, and this year included a presentation by Philippe Cousteau, Jr., about the importance of oceans and environmental conservation.

Employees around the world create­ local events and volunteer with organizations that match their personal interests and help address local concerns. For example, Baxter's Woodlands facility in Singapore held events for employees about energy efficiency and water conservation, and employees from Baxter’s Austria facilities volunteered to help with maintenance and trail trimming at the Danube-Auen National Park near Baxter’s facility in Orth. For more information, see http://sustainability.baxter.com/community-support/employee-involvement.html.

About Baxter

Baxter's commitment to sustainability spans more than three decades. The company is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and has been recognized by Corporate Knights as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World and by Corporate Responsibility magazine as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens. Baxter is a member of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College, and the Ethics & Compliance Officer Association. The company endorses the Ceres principles and is an Organizational Stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative. Further information about Baxter’s sustainability activities can be found at www.sustainability.baxter.com.

Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions.  As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide.

Baxter International Inc.

Baxter International Inc.

At Baxter, sustainability means creating lasting social, environmental and economic value by addressing the needs of the company’s wide-ranging stakeholder base. The company's sustainability efforts support Baxter's mission to apply innovative science in the development of products and therapies that save and sustain patients' lives.

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