Baxter Publishes Its First Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Index and Celebrates Continued Inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI)
DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), a leading global medical products company, today published its first Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) index, a voluntary public disclosure that provides transparent and relevant corporate responsibility information to investors and other key stakeholders. This reporting milestone comes as Baxter is again named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI), both DJSI World and DJSI North America, recognizing the company’s leading sustainability efforts. Baxter has proudly been included in the DJSI World and DJSI North America each year since they launched, in 1999 and 2005, respectively.
“As we strive to address the environmental, social and governance issues that matter most to our stakeholders, transparency is key—and has been a cornerstone of our work for decades,” said José (Joe) E. Almeida, chairman and chief executive officer. “This includes demonstrating the connection between our corporate responsibility initiatives and our business priorities. We are proud of the increasing sophistication of our sustainability efforts and will continue to evolve and broaden our disclosures to best meet stakeholder interests and needs.”
Baxter’s Inaugural Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Index
Businesses, shareholders and stakeholders at large acknowledge that sustainability factors can affect a company’s long-term financial performance. SASB provides industry-specific metrics for sustainability topics, giving companies a platform to share relevant, standardized and easily accessible information incorporating responses to all or some of the applicable metrics. Baxter’s first index aligns with SASB’s Medical Equipment and Supplies Sustainability Accounting Standard and provides information on five topics: Affordability and Pricing, Product Safety, Ethical Marketing, Product Design and Lifecycle Management, and Supply Chain Management. Moving forward, Baxter expects to include a SASB index in the company’s annual Corporate Responsibility Report.
Continued Leadership in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI)
The DJSI evaluate leading sustainability-driven companies on the performance of their economic, environmental and social efforts, enabling investors to integrate sustainability considerations into their portfolios and serving as globally recognized designations of the most sustainable companies. In the recently announced 2020 lists, Baxter scored in the top four percent of companies assessed within the health care equipment and supplies industry, with leading performance in environmental reporting, marketing practices, materiality, policy influence and social reporting.
Baxter’s corporate responsibility strategy continues to drive the sustainability of products and operations, improve access to healthcare for the underserved and foster a best place to work. In June, the company published its 2019 Corporate Responsibility Report, which highlights progress related to Baxter’s 2015-2020 corporate responsibility priorities and goals. As Baxter nears the conclusion of this current set of goals, the company is developing its focus areas moving forward and remains committed to proactively evaluating its reporting approach. Baxter expects to announce its next set of corporate responsibility goals during the first half of 2021.
About Corporate Responsibility at Baxter: Making a Meaningful Difference Worldwide
Responsible corporate citizenship advances Baxter’s aspirations as a healthcare leader, sparks innovation globally and reinforces the dedication of our employees to doing business the right way. We have been honored for our efforts as an employer of choice and a socially responsible and sustainable business, and are privileged to be included on various lists such as 3BL Media’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, Forbes and JUST Capital’s America's “Most Just” companies, and the FTSE4Good Index, among numerous other regional and country-specific recognitions across the globe. Learn more about Baxter’s corporate responsibility initiatives here.
About Baxter
Every day, millions of patients and caregivers rely on Baxter’s leading portfolio of critical care, nutrition, renal, hospital and surgical products. For more than 85 years, we’ve been operating at the critical intersection where innovations that save and sustain lives meet the healthcare providers that make it happen. With products, technologies and therapies available in more than 100 countries, Baxter’s employees worldwide are now building upon the company’s rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the next generation of transformative healthcare innovations. To learn more, visit www.baxter.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
This release includes forward-looking statements concerning Baxter’s expectations about future SASB disclosures. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: satisfaction of regulatory and other requirements; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities; changes in law and regulations; and other risks identified in Baxter's most recent filing on Form 10-K and other SEC filings, all of which are available on Baxter's website. Baxter does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.
Baxter is a registered trademark of Baxter International Inc.
