Global Citizenship

• Innovating for
  the Future
• Enhancing
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• Supporting Patients and Consumers
• Safeguarding the Environment

Our Priorities > Safeguarding the Environment Environmental Management and Policy

Carbon Disclosure Project

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Reducing Waste

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Defined Training Requirements at Every Staffing Level

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Green Partners Increase Awareness

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We respond annually to the Carbon Disclosure Project, as well as the Carbon Disclosure Project Water Tool and the Carbon Disclosure Project Supplier Survey.

We’re committed to reducing our volume of waste and achieving five zero-waste-to-landfill manufacturing facilities by 2015. Our phased waste management strategy covers both our own manufacturing operations and, ultimately, those of our suppliers.

More than 800 employees in Abbott’s headquarters are working together to increase environmental responsibility awareness through Green Partners. The group sponsors frequent activities, including an educational program on household energy conservation and the building of support structures to hold a community vegetable garden.

Clear policies, standards and management systems ensure we operate in a manner that protects both human health and the environment. Our environmental management metrics, auditing and reporting mechanisms are evaluated regularly, and we hold our managers responsible for improving their performance against these targets as part of our annual performance appraisal process. For a fourth consecutive year, Abbott achieved the maximum score in the environmental policy and management category of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

Our environmental policy aims for and achieves the following objectives:

• Improving the efficiency and sustainability of our business activities and products, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water use and waste
• Requiring contractors working on behalf of Abbott to conform to regulatory requirements and meet applicable internal Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) standards
• Establishing goals and strategies for the enterprise and reporting publicly on our progress
• Integrating sound EHS practices consistent with our management system into all aspects of the business

Environmental Policies and Standards

Abbott has clear, consistent policies and standards requiring that we operate in a manner that is protective of human health and the environment. Our global standards are reevaluated on a regular basis and include technical program requirements, metrics and audit and reporting mechanisms that serve as baseline expectations for environmental performance.

Energy and Water Policies

Abbott’s energy and water policies are set forth in the following documents, which outline our aggressive goals to further reduce our environmental footprint, including our commitments to dramatically reducing CO₂e emissions. They also detail our commitment to improving access to clean water in communities around the world and to reducing and efficiently managing our company’s own use of water.

Climate Responsible Energy Policy (PDF)

Access to Water – Position Statement (PDF)

Our management standards set minimum requirements in the following areas:

• Environmental Policy and Program
• Strategic Planning
• Self-Assessment/Risk Assessment
• Business Integration
• Training and Awareness
• Communication and Information
• Performance Measures
• Assurance Reviews
• Environmental Global Standards

These standards allow Abbott to have consistent technical expectations in all our manufacturing operations around the world.

We also have published a green procurement policy (PDF) to formalize our approach and to provide guidance on incorporating sustainable sourcing principles into the purchasing process.

EHS Technical Standards (PDF)

Environmental Management Oversight

Improving our performance requires clear lines of accountability and senior-level leadership and support. We have multiple levels of environmental management oversight within businesses and across the company. The Senior Vice President for Quality Assurance, Regulatory and Engineering Services, a corporate officer, reviews metrics, key programs and progress with the Chairman and CEO on a regular basis. The following groups implement our Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) programs and initiatives:

• Global Operations Council: This body sets priorities for all Abbott manufacturing plants and makes resources available to meet local needs based on internal assessment of performance, benchmarking of best practices in the industry and risk profiles. The council is chaired by the Senior Vice President for Quality Assurance, Regulatory and Engineering Services (who is both a corporate officer and the senior executive charged with Global EHS responsibility) and consists of our heads of operations, research and development, quality, purchasing and information technology. As part of the internal assessment process, the Senior Vice President for Quality Assurance, Regulatory and Engineering Services periodically reviews key performance indicators and status of preventive actions with the Global Operations Council.
• Commercial EHS Executive Council: This council sets priorities and implements EHS goals and objectives for our sales operations around the world. This includes aspects such as driver safety and reducing vehicular accidents among the sales force, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fleet vehicles. A senior corporate officer chairs this group.
• EHS Executive Council: This group develops and implements programs and actions that are consistent with the priorities set by the Global Operations Council and the Commercial EHS Executive Council. This team meets regularly to share best practices and discuss EHS issues with company-wide implications. This group also builds awareness of EHS performance, promotes our EHS Excellence Awards, supports EHS training and conferences and communicates our performance improvement initiatives.

Global EHS Audits

Abbott’s Global EHS audit function systematically evaluates our EHS-related performance and compliance status. These periodic assessments serve several purposes, including identifying potential risks to employees, the environment and the company; fostering continuous improvement; developing staff expertise; and promoting knowledge transfer. Abbott facilities are typically audited once every 36 months to help ensure compliance with regulatory and internal requirements.

Abbott EHS professionals have also partnered with commercial management to complete formal on-site EHS gap assessments. During these assessments, affiliates are provided with compliance tools and implementation resources designed to ensure sustainable compliance and program improvement.

Environmental Management Training

Abbott’s EHS Management Standards require each operating unit within the company to define training requirements at each level of staffing, from line workers through management, based on the duties of each position. Relevant topics include Abbott’s Global EHS Policy and Standards, site-specific environmental risks and regulatory requirements, key performance indicators, mechanisms for performance reporting and corrective action obligations. Each organizational location is responsible for monitoring completion of the required training, which is subject to periodic audit. Compliance with these standards and completion of appropriate training modules are required portions of employees’ annual incentive goals.

We’re committed to reducing our volume of waste and achieving five zero-waste-to-landfill manufacturing facilities by 2015. Our phased waste management strategy covers both our own manufacturing operations and, ultimately, those of our suppliers.

Managing Potentially Hazardous Materials

Abbott’s Process Safety Management Program is aimed at preventing the consequences of incidents involving hazardous materials used in our manufacturing processes. In 2006, we refined our long-range plan to help ensure consistent implementation of the systems necessary for process safety in each Abbott division. During 2011, we completed 109 Process Hazard Analyses and Process Hazard Analysis Revalidations across our pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities globally.

Property Remediation

Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, commonly known as Superfund, Abbott has been identified as one of many potentially responsible parties in investigations at 17 locations in the United States, none of which are owned or operated by Abbott, for releases of hazardous materials into the environment. At four of these locations, there has been no involvement on the part of Abbott, and we believe that we have no responsibility at those locations. We also are engaged in remediation at seven other locations, some of which are owned by Abbott, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or similar agencies. The number of remediation sites decreased in 2011 due to Abbott completing remediation at two sites in 2010. While it is not feasible to predict with certainty the final costs related to these investigations and remedial activities, we believe that such costs should not have a materially adverse effect on our financial position, cash flows or operations.

Environmental Reporting and Assurance

Abbott reports on our environmental programs both to demonstrate increased transparency of our processes and performance and to invite feedback from our many stakeholders.

We respond annually to the Carbon Disclosure Project, publishing our greenhouse gas emissions data and information on the business risks and opportunities provided by climate change. Additionally, we responded to the first-ever Carbon Disclosure Project Water Survey in 2010, publishing our water data and information on the business risks and opportunities presented by water stress globally.

The independent consulting firm Environmental Resources Management conducted an assessment and concluded that Abbott accurately reported its 2011 global greenhouse gas emissions, water and waste data.

Note: All data in the Global Citizenship section reflects activities prior to the separation of Abbott and AbbVie on January 1, 2013.