A Decade of Sustainability Industry Leadership

Abbott takes the top spot in the industry on the 2022 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the 10th year.

Sustainability|Dec.16, 2022

For nearly 135 years, we've maintained both a clear and important purpose – helping people live their fullest lives through better health – and a willingness to evolve to ensure we sustain this positive impact for generations.

These two things – clarity of purpose and commitment to maintaining this impact for the people we serve – define what sustainability means at Abbott and guide our 2030 Sustainability Plan.  And they also underlie our efforts to define what sustainability means in healthcare through leading environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.

For the 10th year, Abbott has earned the highest score in our industry — Health Care Equipment and Supplies — on the 2022 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). This was the 18th consecutive year that Abbott has been included on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and North America Index, which are based on the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment.

As one of the most prestigious global benchmarks for corporate sustainability, the index recognizes companies worldwide for outstanding ESG performance. Our industry leadership on the DJSI reflects our longstanding commitment to sustainability in health and broad-based approach to delivering strong performance across all ESG areas. 

Abbott's inclusion on the DJSI and leading overall score of 79 out of 100 in the Health Care Equipment and Supplies sector were confirmed on Dec. 9, 2022. In addition to being No. 1 overall in the industry, Abbott earned the highest score in the Social Dimension category (the "S" in ESG), with leading performance in the specific criteria of health outcome contribution, social reporting, human capital development and talent attraction and retention. Abbott also achieved leading performance in the Environmental Dimension and Governance & Economic Dimension criteria of supply chain management, environmental reporting and information security/cybersecurity & system availability.

Our high ranking in the Social Dimension in part reflects Abbott’s sustainability focus on innovating for greater access and affordability in health. Through our 2030 Sustainability Plan, we’ve set an ambitious goal to improve the lives of 3 billion people a year – one in three people on the planet – by the end of the decade.

"We can do the most good by pursuing our fundamental mission as a company: bringing life-changing technologies and products to the people and places that need them. That’s why we’re building affordability into our products to increase access to them and breaking down barriers that prevent people from getting the care they need," said Robert B. Ford, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Abbott. "Our fundamental goal is simple: we are working for a world with fewer barriers — one that enables people to live their fullest possible lives — creating healthier people, healthier communities and a healthier world."

Recently, Abbott also was named one of America's Most Responsible Companies 2023 by Newsweek, moving up from No. 51 to 12 overall among 500 companies. In addition, Abbott was once again named to the Management Top 250 list in the Wall Street Journal, ranking No. 36 with "5 star" ratings in innovation and social responsibility.

For a full view of Abbott's sustainability progress and performance, see our latest Global Sustainability Report, and for more examples of Abbott's work, see our Newsroom stories on sustainability. For more on the DJSI, see the S&P Global news release.

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