Business Value
Pursuing sustainability reflects Baxter’s values, supports its social-responsibility commitments and reduces the company’s environmental impacts. Sustainability enhances Baxter’s business, as described in the following table.
| COST SAVINGS |
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| MARKET ACCESS |
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| COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE |
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| NEW AND EXPANDING MARKETS |
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| STAKEHOLDER AND INVESTOR EXPECTATIONS |
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| ENHANCED BRAND AND REPUTATION |
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Baxter also manages various risk factors regarding issues related to sustainability such as product quality, efficacy and safety; compliance with laws and regulations worldwide; governmental and other policies related to reimbursement for medical products, and intellectual property protection. See pages 6-7 of Baxter’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 for more detail. Additional information about Baxter’s approach in some of these areas is included in this report as well, such as in Quality and Safety, Environmental, Health and Safety Compliance, and Product Use.
1The term "base of the pyramid" refers to the roughly four billion people who live on less than $4 per day per capita, mostly in developing countries. Many companies have typically developed and marketed products and services for people at the "top of the pyramid." In recent years, more companies have extended product and service offerings to the "middle of the pyramid," often referred to as an "emerging economy" strategy.
