FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., July 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, today issued its 2018 Sustainability Report, focusing on management of the environmental, social and governance factors that support the company's 2020 Sustainability Goals.

BD's sustainability strategy is driven by its purpose – Advancing the world of health™ – and focuses on four priorities that are most relevant to the business and its stakeholders:

• Innovation – health care safety, outcomes and cost
• Access – health care in resource-limited populations
• Efficiency – environmentally sound products and resilient operations
• Empowerment – positive workforce and community impacts

"BD's 2020 sustainability goals reflect our commitment to the role we play in finding solutions to complex global issues in partnership with our employees, customers and stakeholders," said Vincent A. Forlenza, chairman and CEO. "We are pleased with the progress we have made toward our goals and believe there are opportunities ahead to make a real difference as we work to address global challenges such as climate change and antimicrobial resistance."

Highlights from this year's report include:

• Innovation: In 2018, BD launched more than 20 new products, demonstrating a continued focus on innovation in key areas, including medication management, lab automation and health care worker and patient safety. The company continues to pursue and invest in new digital technologies to enhance product and solution offerings and is focused on collaboration across the industry to enhance cybersecurity of medical technology and devices.
• Access: In 2018, the company celebrated a decade of partnership with the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) through its Labs for Life collaboration, which focuses on strengthening laboratory systems and upgrading clinical practices in phlebotomy, infusion and injection. BD also expanded its existing partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to address drug-resistant tuberculous in select high-burden countries.
• Efficiency: BD continues to work across the value chain to improve environmental performance and the resiliency of its global operations. The company's commitment to on-site generation and renewable energy enabled a continued reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 (down 75% from baseline year of 2008, normalized to cost of products sold). BD continues to find opportunities to address water consumption and waste generation, seeing continued improvements against its 2020 targets in both areas (47% and 33% reduction respectively, from baseline year of 2008, normalized to cost of products sold), despite increases in production.
• Empowerment: BD is committed to fostering an environment that welcomes and empowers an inclusive and diverse workforce which has earned the company recognition by a number of organizations in 2018, including the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality). The company continues to place a strong focus on philanthropy, providing $9.9 million in cash donations and $6.4 million in product donations, as well as expertise and employee volunteer hours to non-profit organizations around the world.

New to this year's report, BD spotlights three global challenge areas – human rights, climate change, antimicrobial resistance – and details how these topics intersect with work across the four key priorities of the company's sustainability strategy.

For more information about the company's sustainability goals, view the 2018 Sustainability Report here: https://www.bd.com/en-us/company/sustainability-at-bd.

About BD

BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 65,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com.

SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)