Product End-of-Life
The responsible treatment of electronic healthcare products at the end of their useful life is an emerging issue worldwide. Baxter has had programs in place for several years to refurbish and return products to use as appropriate, and to recycle products when reuse is not feasible. Baxter has now introduced even more comprehensive product take-back in Europe, in line with European Union Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive obligations.
Repair and Refurbishment
Many of the electronic medical products Baxter sells, such as intravenous (IV) infusion pumps, are well suited to repair and refurbishment after the original customer has finished using them. In some countries, Baxter leases most of these products to customers, which helps ensure that products will be returned to Baxter after a set period of time.
Repair and refurbishment extends a product's useful life and decreases the environmental impacts associated with product disposal and the manufacture of new products. For example, in Europe in 2006, Baxter conducted approximately 35,000 maintenance events and repairs on products with a cumulative weight of about 1,500 metric tons.
Recycling
Recent interest in electronic product recycling is reflected in new regulations worldwide. The WEEE Directive impacts a range of Baxter products in Europe, including dialysis machines, IV pumps and other electronic devices. The WEEE Directive, effective August 13, 2005, requires companies to arrange for the take-back of electronic products at end-of-life to enable the recovery and recycling of product components. Baxter is up to date with registrations in EU member states and has joined appropriate compliance programs, in countries where the regulations have been implemented and programs established.
Environmental regulations in Europe often influence those in other nations. Countries such as China, Korea, Taiwan and some U.S. states are implementing or considering legislation similar to WEEE. Baxter anticipates that its EU experience will help extend this program worldwide.
When customers return products to Baxter that contain batteries such as infusion pumps, Baxter sends the batteries to a recycler whenever feasible. Baxter tracks battery recycling and audits recycling sites at least once every four years to ensure they comply with Baxter's requirements and conduct their operations in an environmentally responsible manner.
