OREANDA-NEWS. February 08, 2016. Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) has been recognized as a corporate sustainability leader for the 16th consecutive year as part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. The company also has advanced a variety of newly initiated corporate programs to provide young environmental scholars with practical experience, support crisis intervention and suicide prevention for young people, and offset greenhouse gas emissions associated with its air travel.

Baxter Again Recognized in Dow Jones Sustainability Index

For the 16th consecutive year, Baxter is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) — one of only a handful of companies recognized each year since the Index was created in 1999. The DJSI tracks the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide, enabling investors to integrate sustainability considerations into their portfolios. For more information, see http://www.sustainability-indices.com/.

Developing and Learning from Tomorrow’s Environmental Stewards

An important aspect of Baxter’s work in sustainability has been building relationships, teaching and learning from tomorrow’s environmental leaders through corporate internships.

Recently Baxter partnered with graduate students from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisc., to assess the carbon footprint of renal dialysis clinics it operates in Colombia. After aggregating and analyzing data from these sites, these environmental scholars identified potential carbon reduction strategies for Baxter.

Baxter also partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund through its Climate Corps program to work with two graduate students. These students’ efforts were dedicated to helping Baxter explore opportunities to expand the use of renewable energy, enhance energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One of the Climate Corps participants, a doctoral student, worked with Baxter’s team in Shanghai to evaluate renewable energy projects and improve the energy efficiency of the company’s local manufacturing facilities. The second Climate Corps intern, based in northern Illinois, helped Baxter develop strategies to accelerate progress towards Baxter’s long-term energy efficiency, renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals.

“Baxter has benefited from the fresh perspectives and energetic approach these young scholars bring, and they have helped further our work on environmental sustainability,” said Art Gibson, vice president of environment, health and safety for Baxter. “Working with these young people provides us with ideas and perspectives from our next generation of environmental leaders and in turn we are able to introduce them to real-world challenges and opportunities to apply their learning in a practical manner.”

Touching Lives through the Trevor Project

The Baxter International Foundation has provided a grant to the Trevor Project to help provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention among young people who may be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning. This grant will expand the Trevor Project’s capacity to help young people by adding two full-time crisis services coordinators. The addition of these professionals is expected to allow the project to increase their five-minute response time from 60 percent to 85 percent.

The Trevor Project was originally supported by one of Baxter’s business resource groups, the Baxter Equality Network. The Baxter Equality Network is dedicated to supporting inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender professionals and their straight allies at Baxter. A number of employees have served as volunteers with the Trevor Project since 2013.

“The Baxter Equality Network is proud to provide our assistance to the Trevor Project and the young people who desperately need these services,” said Robert Perks, president of the Baxter Equality Network. “Baxter recognizes that the Trevor Project’s work can mean the difference between life and death. Our support for this organization is a powerful investment in future generations and the promise they hold for a better tomorrow.”

Baxter Working to Offset Emissions Associated with its Air Travel

Baxter recently joined United Airlines’ new CarbonChoice program as part of its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint. United will provide Baxter with detailed information relating to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its corporate travel. These measurements will include variables such as the distance traveled, the type of aircraft used, payload and other environmental factors that affect the travel emissions. Baxter will receive quarterly enterprise-level carbon emissions reports and purchase offsets to counterbalance these emissions — effectively allowing Baxter employees to travel carbon-neutral on United.

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 Responsibility magazine as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens and by Points of Light and Bloomberg for community engagement in the Civic 50. The company endorses the Ceres principles and is an Organizational Stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative. Further information about Baxter's sustainability programs and performance can be found at baxter.com/sustainability-report.

Baxter provides a broad portfolio of essential renal and hospital products, including home, acute and in-center dialysis; sterile IV solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition; biosurgery products and anesthetics; and pharmacy automation, software and services. The company’s global footprint and the critical nature of its products and services play a key role in expanding access to healthcare in emerging and developed countries. Baxter’s employees worldwide are building upon the company’s rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the next generation of healthcare innovations that enable patient care.