Baxter sells more than 100 million cases of products each year. The manufacture, transport, use and ultimate disposal of these products can impact the environment by using energy, materials and other resources. Baxter manages these impacts through its product stewardship programs.
The design stage offers a unique opportunity to influence a product's environmental, health and safety performance, so Baxter includes a Product Sustainability Review (PSR) during the early stages of product development. PSR focuses on medical devices, ranging from intravenous (IV) solution containers to dialysis machines.
An initial screen reveals high-level environmental and health and safety risks and opportunities at the concept phase, and a comprehensive review then identifies improvement opportunities across the life cycle. Baxter uses these results to confirm product feasibility, help establish product requirements and minimize potential product impacts to human health and the environment. 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 regulation.
Since 2005, Baxter has used PSR to evaluate all new medical devices reaching the concept stage of development, and currently has several devices under review.
Product Examples
Baxter offers a number of IV medications, parenteral nutrition solutions, injectable drugs, biopharmaceuticals, access systems, administration devices and other products that use or are contained in non-PVC or non-DEHP [di(2- ethylhexyl)phthalate] materials. See the Materials Use section for more information about materials used, including PVC, in Baxter products.
In the United Kingdom in 2008, one of Baxter's non-PVC IV containers became the company’s first product to receive the CarbonNeutral ® brand mark. Baxter purchased carbon offsets equaling 4,310 metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) to balance the emissions from sourcing and delivery of raw materials, product manufacturing, delivery and use, and finally disposal of the packaging.
Using third-party expertise and verification, Baxter is conducting a comprehensive life cycle analysis on a product to quantify how improved product packaging and delivery has reduced the product's carbon footprint and other life cycle environmental impacts.
Baxter is also focused on product end-of-life. For its electronic products, when refurbishment and reuse is not an option, Baxter pursues responsible recycling. Integrating design for disassembly into product development will facilitate more efficient processing.
Baxter’s product stewardship programs also address other issues that generally arise in the research and design phase of the product life cycle, including issues related to bioethics, clinical trials and animal welfare. While health regulations currently require the use of animal testing in the development and production of healthcare products, Baxter is committed to minimizing animal testing. In early 2009, Baxter added a product stewardship goal of identifying additional opportunities to replace, reduce and refine (“3Rs”) the use of animal testing. Baxter looks forward to adding to the number of successful innovations it has introduced in this area over the years.
2015 GOALS
- Incorporate the following elements as appropriate into Baxter's product stewardship programs: sustainable design, takeback and recycling of Baxter's products.
- Identify new opportunities to replace, reduce and refine (“3Rs”) the use of animal testing.
1 For example, the European Union 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.
