Through its various initiatives, Baxter is a company that serves as a model of environmental excellence to Malta and the rest of the world, US Ambassador Molly Bordonaro said yesterday.

Mrs Bordonaro presented the Ambassador’s Award for Environmental Excellence to Baxter – a global healthcare company that applies its expertise and produces medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues at the moment and the US is taking it very seriously on a multi-national basis, said the ambassador.

“Climate change is one of the topmost political issues that is pushed very high on our agenda,” said Mrs Bordonaro.

She explained that the award recognises American companies in Malta that have made a difference to the environment.

Private companies make the largest difference and many American companies based in Malta are coming up with innovative ideas to reduce their energy consumption, said Mrs Bordonaro.

She spoke about Baxter’s initiative to eventually become carbon neutral and praised them for taking up this “aggressive goal”.

The results achieved by Baxter can only be reached through a collective effort by the whole company, concluded Mrs Bordonaro.

Baxter manufacturing director Julian Dimech said the company managed to reduce its energy consumption by 10 per cent in 2007 thanks to a heavy investment in energy-efficient products.

It is only when the environment is at the top of a company’s agenda that the goal can be achieved, he said.

The company also focused on reducing waste at source. “Between 2006 and 2007 we managed to reduce the generation of waste by 20 per cent,” he said.

Baxter also included the community in its green initiatives, participating and sponsoring various embellishment and afforestation projects.