Product Sustainability Review
The design stage offers a unique opportunity to influence a product's environmental, health and safety performance across the entire life cycle. It is at this time that decisions can be made regarding materials selection, components that impact energy use and other factors.
For this reason, Baxter includes Product Sustainability Review (PSR) during the early stages of the product development process. PSR is a two-step assessment of the environmental, health and safety, and other sustainability-related impacts of a product throughout its life cycle. An initial screen reveals high-level sustainability risks and opportunities at the product development concept phase, in areas such as regulations and customer and other stakeholder requirements (see graphic below).
The second step is a comprehensive review that identifies improvement opportunities across the life cycle. This includes life cycle assessment computer modeling that describes the environmental impacts of a proposed product, and can compare those to the impacts of existing products. This assessment can also inform material choices and be used to evaluate disposal options. Baxter uses these results to confirm product feasibility, help establish product requirements and minimize potential product impacts to human health and the environment.
PSR focuses on medical devices, ranging from intravenous solution containers to dialysis machines. Beginning in 2005, Baxter has used PSR to evaluate all new medical devices reaching the concept stage of development, and currently has several devices under review.
PSR also provides a channel to integrate compliance considerations for existing and upcoming product-related regulations.1 In 2008, Baxter enhanced the PSR screen for toxic chemicals. This will help the company meet growing customer demands and will also help Baxter prepare for potential chemical restrictions under the European Union REACH ( Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances) regulation. See Case Studies: Materials Restrictions for more information.
PSR has had positive results. Several reviews influenced materials selection, helping Baxter meet European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive restrictions regarding heavy metals for a new machine design, even though the product is exempt.
PSR is also playing an important role in the ongoing development of a new Global Anesthesia and Critical Care device, which will meet RoHS guidelines regarding restricted materials worldwide and will not contain chemicals from the REACH regulation list of “Substances of Very High Concern.” Baxter is using the device to evaluate using IEC 60601-1-9, an international standard for environmentally conscious design.
Baxter also uses life cycle assessment to evaluate the impact of changes to existing products. For example, Baxter has historically packaged the protein albumin in glass containers, but switched to a non-PVC plastic container with its products in 2005. In addition to enhancing convenience for customers and users, this may reduce associated environmental impacts due to the smaller amount of energy required to manufacture and transport the new containers compared to glass. Using third party expertise and verification, Baxter is conducting a life cycle assessment to quantify these savings, and expects the results to be available later in 2009.
Baxter will continue to improve the PSR process through enhanced life cycle impact assessment computer modeling and more detailed evaluation of the carbon footprint of a product.
Baxter's sustainability programs improve the company’s sustainability performance while helping to meet customer requirements. For example, several large customers in the United States and Europe increasingly require information related to product environmental performance in requests for proposal and consider that information in vendor selection. In 2009, Baxter plans to incorporate into the product development process a requirement to gather customer environmental requirements and input into product design requirements as appropriate.
Similarly, governments also increasingly set environmental criteria for “greener” public procurement. In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service requires that five percent of the information included in tenders describes the company's environmental performance.
Baxter anticipates that these trends will continue, and that leadership in product stewardship and other areas such as environment, health and safety and supply chain will support broader business objectives and represent a source of competitive advantage.
1 Such as the Europe Community Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, REACH ( Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances) Regulation, Energy-using Products (EuP) Directive, and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.
