Better Health for All

Abbott Laboratories, a global healthcare company, focuses its core business on products across pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, nutrition, and medical devices, all of which have positive health impacts. The company reports no revenue from products with significant negative health outcomes. Abbott actively promotes health equity and education through various initiatives. Its 'Future Well Communities' program, launched in 2019, has reached 13,000 people in Stockton, CA, aiming to reduce barriers to diabetes management and improve health education.

The 'Healthy Food Rx' program, also in Stockton, demonstrated clinically significant improvements in diabetes management, with participants experiencing an average A1C reduction of 0.80% and a 0.59% decrease over 12 months. This program also increased fruit and vegetable intake by nearly two servings per week and enhanced food security from 34% to 44%. Abbott partners with the National Association of Community Health Centers to integrate nutrition into healthcare, supporting eight U.S. health centers in tackling food insecurity and enhancing health outcomes through nutrition education. Additionally, Abbott is expanding its Diversity in Clinical Trials initiative with partnerships and a new Diversity in Research Office to ensure diverse representation in studies.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Abbott Laboratories supports economic opportunity through initiatives aimed at diverse and small businesses and employee financial stability. The company committed $13 million to diverse small businesses in 2023 through a collaboration with LISC.

Additionally, Abbott contributed $25 million in loan capital and grants as part of a $37.5 million initiative with LISC to support diverse small businesses in the healthcare sector. Abbott also increased spending with diverse and small businesses, reaching $3.2 billion in 2021, an 18% annual increase over three years. For its employees, Abbott granted Restricted Stock Units to 14,000 employees across 73 countries and offered an employee stock purchase plan with 44% participation in 63 countries in 2022, reflecting a commitment to financial stability.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Abbott Laboratories faces ongoing legal scrutiny regarding worker treatment. In March 2025, former employees filed federal lawsuits alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Maine Human Rights Act, and the Maine Whistleblower Protection Act, which the company denies.

Another lawsuit was filed in August 2024, claiming the company failed to pay overtime wages for mandatory pre- and post-shift activities. However, Abbott secured a complete defense verdict in a separate whistleblower jury trial in February 2025. An FDA audit in June 2024 found that the agency took over 15 months to act on a February 2021 whistleblower complaint about an Abbott Nutrition factory, where subsequent inspections uncovered violations including bacterial contamination and safety lapses. Historically, Abbott has faced penalties for safety-related offenses, totaling over $27 million since 2000. The company states its Code of Business Conduct emphasizes honesty, fairness, and dignity for employees. It offers benefits such as health coverage, wellness programs, paid parental leave, and tuition assistance, and links executive compensation to human capital management and diversity outcomes. As of December 2024, Abbott employed approximately 114,000 globally, with 47% of its U.S. workforce being women.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

The provided articles describe Abbott Laboratories' commitments and initiatives related to ethical sourcing, including targets for increasing spending with diverse and small businesses

, requirements for human rights and labor practices in supplier guidelines , and due diligence for conflict minerals . However, the articles do not contain the specific quantitative data points required by the rubric's KPIs, such as the percentage of spend covered by fair-trade certifications, average audit frequency for tier-1 suppliers, number of substantiated forced or child labor incidents, percentage of suppliers with traceable provenance data, median days to close corrective action plans, percentage of contracts with enforceable ethical clauses, share of spend on high-risk materials, or the current percentage of the total procurement budget directed to diverse suppliers.

Honest & Fair Business

In July 2024, a Missouri state court jury ordered Abbott to pay $495 million in damages

, including $400 million in punitive damages , after determining its infant formula caused necrotizing enterocolitis in a premature infant . This case is among numerous lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn about the higher risk associated with its formula . In January 2022, Abbott engaged in off-label promotion of its anti-seizure drug Depakote , providing financial incentives to healthcare providers for unapproved uses, violating the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute . Abbott's Code of Business Conduct emphasizes ethical behavior and compliance with laws and regulations .

Kind to Animals

Abbott's laboratory animal research programs and facilities have maintained accreditation from the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) for over 35 years, meeting or exceeding U.S. and European Union regulations.

The company states a commitment to minimizing animal use in research, adhering to the principles of the 3Rs (Replace, Reduce, and Refine), and seeking alternatives where feasible and permitted by law. However, this policy allows for animal testing when necessary and permitted by law. In 2012, a shareholder proposal noted that Abbott's animal testing metrics and reporting were less thorough compared to other areas, and the proposal was defeated. Reports from 2012 indicate the use of 1,286 dogs for testing, with 741 involved in experiments causing pain or distress, and one dog was found dead following a toxicity experiment. Additionally, a study funded by Abbott Nutrition involved 23 female rhesus macaques having their infants taken and 23 baby monkeys euthanized at six months of age.

No War, No Weapons

Abbott Laboratories has secured contracts with the U.S. military (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for medical supplies and services. This includes a $117 million contract for cardiovascular supplies in 2024

, a $94 million contract for in vitro diagnostics and test kits in 2021 , and a 2014 partnership to develop portable blood tests for concussions . The company explicitly states these initiatives focus on healthcare and medical support, not weaponry or weapons production.

Planet-Friendly Business

Abbott Laboratories diverted 91% of its operational waste from landfills, with 53 sites globally achieving zero waste to landfill.

The company reduced its Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 7% in 2023 and purchased 180 million kWh of low-carbon and renewable energy. Its Scope 3 emissions constitute over 90% of its carbon footprint. Abbott reduced approximately 30 million pounds of packaging through sustainable design efforts between 2020 and 2023, and its FreeStyle Libre 3 system specifically reduced plastic use by 41% and carton paper by 43%. The company also achieved water stewardship certification at multiple sites.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Abbott has established at least five formal partnerships with local community groups.

These include collaborations with the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in India , the National Association of Community Health Centers , Easterseals , and partnerships to build research models for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and clinics . The company has no reported cultural appropriation incidents and no reported disruptions to cultural or heritage sites, consistent with its business model. Its charitable giving, while substantial, is generally focused on healthcare and education rather than specifically cultural heritage organizations.

Safe & Smart Tech

Abbott Laboratories agreed to provide enhanced notices regarding background data collection

and added links on its websites to disclosures about targeted advertising and consumer opt-out tools, following a review by the Digital Advertising Accountability Program . The company also decommissioned a mobile app that was collecting third-party data for interest-based advertising . Additionally, Abbott's cybersecurity program includes embedding cybersecurity in product design as one of its four pillars .

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Abbott Laboratories achieved a 90% waste diversion rate

. The company has implemented several waste reduction initiatives, including 53 facilities globally certified as zero waste-to-landfill . Packaging redesigns for products like BinaxNOW COVID-19 test kits and FreeStyle Libre 3 systems have led to significant reductions, including 26.7 million pounds of packaging and over 9.8 million pounds of plastic . The FreeStyle Libre 3 system specifically reduced plastic use by 40% . Reusable Flextainers for tube feeding bottles reduced 86,000 single-use plastic bottles in 2023 . Abbott has a sustainability plan targeting a 50 million pound reduction in packaging by 2030, having already achieved 59% of this goal by 2022 through design programs . Circular design principles are evident in some product lines, such as the Alinity ci-series diagnostics system, which uses 53-75% less electricity and saves nearly 50% of lab space due to its compact design .