Biodiversity

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the effective protection and use of biodiversity at all levels – genes, species and ecosystems – is a precondition for sustainable development.¹

However, human activities worldwide continue to cause the loss of plant and animal species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the historical rate.² From 1970 to 2005, ground-living vertebrate species declined by an estimated 25%, freshwater species by 25% and marine species by 28%.³

Baxter and Biodiversity

While biodiversity is not a focus of Baxter’s nine sustainability priorities, it is an element of Baxter's Bioethics Policy: "Baxter recognizes that protecting the environment and maintaining the biological diversity of our planet is of vital importance to human life." By endorsing the Ceres Principles, Baxter has committed to preservation of the biosphere. Principle 1 states "we will safeguard all habitats affected by our operations and will protect open spaces and wilderness, while preserving biodiversity."

Baxter owns or leases approximately 910 hectares of land, about one-quarter of which is impermeable surface. Although 24 of Baxter’s 58 manufacturing and research and development facilities are located in 12 of the world's biodiversity "hot spots"⁴ as identified by Conservation International, the company’s operations typically are located in light industrial areas in metropolitan regions. While Baxter does not require its facilities to report on activities to protect biodiversity, the company encourages its sites to understand their impact on biodiversity and incorporate conservation of biodiversity into environmental management systems where appropriate.

Local Efforts

Many Baxter facilities worldwide are involved in habitat restoration activities such as tree planting, which enhances biodiversity while providing additional benefits such as reducing surface water runoff, decreasing soil erosion and increasing carbon sequestration.

Costa Rica

Baxter’s facility in Cartago, Costa Rica, has been engaged in a regional tree-planting initiative with the local government since 2008. As part of the initiative, the facility’s Engineering and Supply Chain employees collaborated to calculate the site’s carbon footprint and then planted the required number of trees to achieve carbon neutrality. The team worked with Fundación Tropical Sierra to plant native trees and with forest engineers to provide the global positioning satellite (GPS) information for each tree planted. The trees are growing in a municipal area near a stream that supplies water to four communities in the Cartago province (see photo). GPS data enables Baxter employees to visit their trees, and for Fundación Tropical Sierra to provide protection for each tree for three years until it is less vulnerable. The facility purchased trees in 2010 and is awaiting direction from the local government on where to plant them.

Also in Costa Rica during the year, the Baxter Americas Services (BAS) group undertook two tree-planting initiatives. First, employees and their families volunteered to plant 500 trees, donated by the local government of the city of San José, as part of the city’s reforestation program. On another occasion, employees planted 250 trees in a public park located in San Jose, known as Parque de La Paz. Recognizing these activities, Costa Rican President at the time Oscar Arias Sanchez, Ph.D., awarded BAS the "Blue Flag Award for Environmental Sustainability" for the second consecutive year. The award is given to companies with action plans and demonstrated commitment to mitigate global warming.

The BAS group in Costa Rica started planting trees in 2006 when a “Green Team” formed at the site, and has been active every year since.

Switzerland

Baxter employees in Switzerland have undertaken projects to remove invasive species from environmental preserves throughout the country, allowing natural plant biodiversity to regenerate and flourish. In 2010, employees removed horsetail plants from a Mediterranean portion of the Zurich Botanical Garden, golden rods from a protected area adjacent to the Zurich airport, and other species from hardwood forests in Opfikon and Bassersdorf.

United States

In early 2009, Baxter implemented an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing policy at its Deerfield, Illinois, United States, headquarters. Under the policy, Baxter purchases Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper for use in printers and copiers. FSC-certified paper supports conservation, biodiversity, and responsible management of forests that are used to log trees for paper production. During 2010 alone, Baxter headquarters purchased more than 13 metric tons of FSC paper. The company extended the program in 2010 to other Northern Illinois sites.

Baxter has worked with the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois, United States, for more than 25 years. The mission of the 156-hectare garden, visited by about 800,000 people each year, is to promote the understanding and conservation of plants and the natural world.

Baxter contributed financially to the new Chicago Botanic Garden Plant Science Center that opened in September 2009. The 3,500-square-meter center provides laboratories and teaching facilities for more than 200 Ph.D. scientists, land managers, students and interns, and is home to a unique doctoral program in plant biology and conservation in conjunction with Northwestern University. Baxter’s ongoing financial support helps the Garden’s scientists, researchers and students make vital discoveries about plant survival, habitat destruction, invasive species and restoration. Research performed at the Garden in 2010 demonstrated that removing invasive species and restoring plant diversity increases the ability of soil to store carbon compared to areas dominated by invasive species. Additionally, Baxter sponsors the Garden’s World Environment Week.

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Operations

Baxter’s continued efforts to reduce energy usage and associated greenhouse gas emissions from its operations and broader activities also help protect biodiversity. According to E.O. Wilson, climate change alone may cause one-quarter of the earth's animal and plant species to become extinct or destined for extinction by 2050.⁵

1	UNEP, Secretariat of the Convention on Biodiversity.
2	E.O. Wilson, "The Future of Life."
3	World Wildlife Fund report, "2010 and Beyond: Rising to the Biodiversity Challenge."
4	A Hot Spot is an ecosystem that is biologically rich and endangered. Baxter has manufacturing or research and development sites in the following Conservation International Hot Spots: Atlantic Forest of Brazil, California Floristic Province, Caribbean Islands, Chilean Winter Rainfall Forest, Indo-Burma, Japan, Mediterranean Basin, Mesoamerica, New Zealand, Philippines, Sundaland and Tropical Andes.
5	E.O. Wilson, "The Future of Life."