Better Health for All
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Baxter's mission is to "Save and Sustain Lives," reaching over 350 million patients annually with products for kidney disease, acute/chronic conditions, and life-sustaining therapies
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, with a 10.6% reduction in defects in 2024.
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However, the company has faced multiple serious safety incidents, including four FDA Class I recalls/corrections for its Life2000 Ventilation System (Oct 2024, Feb 2025, April 2025)
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and Novum IQ pumps (July 2025)
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, with the latter leading to three reports of serious injuries.
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While Baxter discloses major risks through recall letters and corporate responsibility metrics
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, the frequency of serious recalls indicates moderate regulatory compliance. During global health crises, Baxter provided pre-positioned products and significant financial aid (e.g., $175,000 for Typhoon Haiyan
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, over $4 million for Hurricane Helene)
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, but Hurricane Helene also caused significant disruptions and a nationwide shortage of IV fluids
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, leading to patient access limitations.
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Baxter has comprehensive health equity programs, including a three-year, $2 million grant to the ADA for diabetes care in underserved Black communities
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and $1.4 million in two years to The Links for kidney health in the Black community
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, reaching over 51,000 community members.
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The company provides comprehensive healthcare workforce support through clinician education, advanced training, and a $400,000 scholarship commitment for Black students in nursing and pharmacy.
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Preventative health measures include Patient Blood Management, chronic disease prevention in community health stations, and employee wellness programs like free seasonal flu vaccinations for 9,200 employees in 2024.
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Baxter is committed to health data privacy, providing cybersecurity, privacy, GDPR, and HIPAA training to employees.
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Its health education initiatives include PBM education, STEM support for K-12 students and HBCUs
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, and kidney health awareness resources.
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The BeWell@Baxter program for employees includes Wellness Days covering behavioral health.
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Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
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Baxter International Inc. is a medical technology company, not a financial institution. As such, most KPIs under 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' are not applicable to its core business. The company receives a score of 0 for `pricing_fairness`, `exploitative_fee_exposure`, `inclusion_initiatives`, `data_accessibility`, `fair_lending_compliance`, `wealth_building_outcome`, `financial_literacy_initiatives`, `debt_burden_ratio`, `geographic_inclusion`, and `product_simplicity` because it does not offer consumer lending, deposit, or other financial products. The `underserved_client_share` KPI is omitted as the company does not provide a percentage of its total customers from financial underserved segments. The `profit_reinvestment` KPI is also omitted because while the company reports charitable giving and community investments (e.g., $31.5 million in 2024), its annual pre-tax profit is not disclosed, preventing the calculation of the required percentage.
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Fair Pay & Worker Respect
10
Baxter's Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) was 0.38 in 2024.
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However, the company reported 21 severe workplace injuries in 2024
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and one employee fatality in 2022.
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In the past three years, there were 9 substantiated health and safety violations, including 5 notices of violation settled in 2024,
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a $50,768 fine in 2023,
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and 3 notices of violation settled with a $14,648 fine in 2022.
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The employee engagement score from the 2024 Best Place to Work Survey was 78%.
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The voluntary employee turnover rate was 11.5% in 2024.
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Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
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In 2024, 56% of Baxter's suppliers, by spend, committed to its Ethics & Compliance Standards through underlying supplier contracts.
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In 2012, Baxter directed approximately 5.14% of its total supplier spending in the United States and Puerto Rico to women-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, small disadvantaged, and HUBZone-certified businesses.
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No substantiated forced or child labor incidents were reported in the provided articles. Baxter prohibits child and forced labor, conducts annual sustainability surveys to assess human rights practices, and maintains a supplier corporate responsibility risk profile with in-depth risk mapping.
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Honest & Fair Business
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Baxter International had no ethics-related regulatory fines in the past three years, though it received environmental and health and safety notices of noncompliance in 2024.
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The company also expects to restate financial statements due to a $276 million overstatement of income over four years (2016-2019)
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resulting from foreign exchange trading practices not in accordance with U.S. GAAP,
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an improper practice that lasted at least 10 years.
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Baxter maintains comprehensive anti-corruption policies, including a Global Third Party Anticorruption Policy that mandates due diligence, monitoring, and audit rights for third parties.
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In 2024, 97% of employees completed Code of Conduct training.
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The company also has a comprehensive whistleblower policy, featuring a 24/7 anonymous helpline available in multiple languages to various stakeholders.
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Reports are acknowledged within two business days
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and tracked, with 763 logged and 770 closed in 2024.
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Investigations aim for completion within three months (90 days).
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Kind to Animals
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Baxter International Inc. has a Bioethics Position Statement that supports the conscientious use of animals in research only when no other scientifically or regulatorily acceptable non-animal alternatives exist
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. The company is committed to the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement) to minimize animal use and enhance welfare
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, and employs in vitro methods
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. A Global Animal Welfare Committee oversees compliance with these standards, encourages alternative test methods, and sets universal standards for animal care
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. This policy applies to work performed by external contract research organizations, consultants, and third-party vendors
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. In 2024, Biodiversity and Habitat Protection was determined to be nonmaterial to Baxter
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, although the company encourages its suppliers to monitor and reduce their biodiversity impact
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.
No War, No Weapons
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Baxter International, through its subsidiaries, has secured multiple contracts with U.S. military entities. In November 2024, Baxters North America Inc. won a $30 million contract to supply unitized group rations to the U.S. military
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. In April 2024, Baxter Healthcare Corporation secured a $132,400 contract from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to service hospital beds
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. Earlier, in November 2020, Baxter was awarded a $40 million contract by the U.S. Department of Defense for infusion pumps and accessories
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, and in July 2020, Baxter Healthcare received a $15 million contract from the Department of Veterans Affairs for medical equipment and supplies
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. The company also supports veterans and military families through initiatives like the BaxVets Business Resource Group, established in 2023
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, and was recognized as a Military Friendly Employer in 2017
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. Historically, in 1993, Baxter International pleaded guilty to aiding the Arab League's boycott of Israel and paid over $6 million in penalties
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.
Planet-Friendly Business
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Baxter International aims for carbon neutrality in its direct operations by 2040
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, with an interim goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25% by 2030, using a 2020 baseline
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. By the end of 2021, 30% of the company's operational energy was sourced from renewable sources, including on-site solar installations
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. In 2023, Baxter completed 150 energy conservation projects, projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 21,100 metric tons of CO₂ annually starting in 2024
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. The company has published its first TCFD-aligned report, demonstrating a commitment to environmental transparency
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, and was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices North America for 2023
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.
Respect for Cultures & Communities
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Baxter International Inc. demonstrates a commitment to human rights, dignity, and diversity, as outlined in its Global Human Rights Policy
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. The company's 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report highlights its dedication to empowering patients, protecting the planet, and championing people and communities
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, reflecting a broader commitment to diversity and inclusion
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. In 2021, Baxter was recognized on the inaugural Global Inclusion Index in 11 countries for its DE&I efforts
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, including best practices in recruitment, retention, advancement, corporate culture, and accountability
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. However, the provided articles explicitly state a lack of specific quantitative data regarding formal partnerships with indigenous or local community groups, and do not provide specific metrics for other community-related KPIs.
Safe & Smart Tech
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Baxter disclosed a data breach in August 2024 affecting 980 individuals in Texas, involving unauthorized access to personal and medical data
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. This incident led to a class-action lawsuit claiming the company lacked adequate cybersecurity measures
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. This indicates few unauthorized data use incidents and suggests some implementation gaps in regulatory compliance. Baxter publishes ten principles for responsible AI focusing on accountability, fairness, privacy, and security
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, but evidence of implementation mechanisms or oversight is not provided. The company has a Global Cybersecurity and Compliance Program managed by a CISO
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. Baxter actively identifies and remediates product vulnerabilities, as evidenced by CISA warnings
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, the release of software updates
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, and its participation in the CVE program for quicker identification and resolution of issues
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.
Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
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In 2024, Baxter received 6 environmental notices of noncompliance
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and paid $99,030 in environmental fines.
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The company achieved a 70.5% waste diversion rate from landfill in 2024.
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Baxter has implemented several waste reduction initiatives, including a PVC Recycling Program for Hospitals
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, an Aluminium Recycling Program
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, a Cardboard Recycling program for home dialysis patients
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, a program for recycling PVC & HDPE dialysis bags
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, the use of reusable packaging for compounded products
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, and a program to collect and recycle PVC and other plastics from hospitals and dialysis clinics in Guatemala.
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