Abbott Expands Use of Sustainable Packaging as Part of Global Environment...(. Some of Abbott's major sustainable pa...),Health

• Abbott Nutrition reduced the amount of plastic in its eight ounce re-closable bottles by 8.3 percent. Through better design, the company cut polypropylene plastic usage by 2.7 million pounds annually. The reduced-weight bottles also will help save 436,000 gallons of gasoline used for transportation per year.
• Abbott recently implemented a pilot program for shipments of some physician samples that require refrigeration. During the pilot, Abbott is exploring ways to make this environmentally-friendly alternative comparable in cost to current packaging. The reusable box - which replaces a larger, single-use box - is smaller, made of reusable, recyclable and 100 percent organic-based materials, and can be used more than 100 times.
  

These are just a couple of examples of the more than 40 sustainable packaging projects already introduced or in the process of being launched across Abbott's health care businesses. The company's sustainable packaging team continues to find new ways to reduce Abbott's environmental footprint through innovative design and the application of the latest packaging technology.

Safeguarding the environment is an important part of Abbott's mission to improve people's health and the company's efforts to be a leader in global citizenship. In addition to expanded use of sustainable packaging, Abbott has identified reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, water conservation and increased use of cleaner and renewable energy as environmental priorities. The company has set measurable goals in each of these areas to track its progress. All of Abbott's various health care businesses are examining their manufacturing processes and needs, as well as their product packaging, to develop environmentally friendly and sustainable approaches to help the company meet or exceed these goals.