Materials Restrictions

Baxter's commitment to minimizing waste is evidenced in its manufacturing facilities that capture, regrind, and reuse scrap plastic materials.

The European Union's Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, effective July 1, 2006, seeks to phase out the use of lead, mercury, cadmium and three other substances used in electronic products such as computers, televisions and mobile phones. This is principally aimed at minimizing negative environmental impacts from these substances throughout the product life cycle, in particular at product end-of-life.

Although the present RoHS Directive does not include medical equipment, the European Commission has proposed that medical equipment will be included in early 2014. Furthermore, environmental regulations in Europe often influence those in other nations, and countries such as China, Korea, Taiwan and some U.S. states such as California have already implemented legislation similar to RoHS. Baxter is developing a global strategy to respond to these regulations worldwide.

Baxter is also working to ensure it meets the European Union's new chemical Directive, REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), which was introduced in 2007. Under the legislation, chemical suppliers, manufacturers or importers of more than one metric ton of a chemical substance each year must register the substance with the new European Chemical Agency (ECHA) central database. The regulation expands significantly the number of substances that will require authorization for use, and identifies "Substances of Very High Concern" that may face future restrictions. It also requires companies to proactively inform customers about the presence of specified substances in products.

All substances (medicinal products are exempted) were required to be pre-registered between June 1, 2008 and December 1, 2008, to take advantage of the staggered implementation program. In 2009, Baxter inventoried the substances and preparations it uses in Europe and collaborated with its suppliers to ensure that appropriate chemical substances were either pre-registered by suppliers or by Baxter.

Baxter's cross-functional REACH team oversees the company's ongoing response to this regulation and explores further opportunities to eliminate hazardous substances. In 2008, the European Union Battery Directive came into effect and was translated into law in several member countries. This directive restricts the presence of mercury and cadmium in batteries produced and sold in the European Union, although it includes an exemption for cadmium that extends to batteries for medical devices. The legislation also defines labeling requirements and collection and recycling targets.

To keep informed of these sorts of trends, Baxter's global Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) organization assesses existing, new and emerging environmental regulations in Europe to identify and prioritize critical business issues, and helps the company develop positions and strategies aimed at improving its environmental performance. A global EHS team also monitors similar producer responsibility regulations worldwide.