Corporate citizenship at BD is intrinsic to the Company’s purpose, “Helping all people live healthy lives.”

The citizenship issues most important to our business include:

• Addressing underappreciated or emerging healthcare needs

BD is a complex institution, comprised of three major segments with over a dozen units in about 50 countries. However, a much smaller number of focused strategies target specific opportunities to improve human healthcare. Over our 110-year history, BD has been most successful when we identify underappreciated or emerging healthcare needs, apply technology to solve the problems, use our manufacturing expertise to make high-quality products available and affordable to people around the world, and surround the products with outstanding service and support. This was the case when BD developed the first syringe designed for insulin injection in 1924, pioneered the development of safety-engineered devices designed to protect healthcare workers, and more recently, when we identified addressing healthcare-associated infections as a core focus area for BD’s future growth.

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• Using natural resources responsibly throughout our operations

Human activity is having a profound impact upon the environment in which we live. Climate change is a growing issue that will have dramatic impacts upon our operations. Natural resources are limited in quantity, and we carefully manage our use of them. Our operations are aware of their impacts and treat with care the resources we must consume, so as not to restrict access to future generations. BD is mindful of our consumption and the associated impacts, and we are acting responsibly toward the environment.

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• Promoting a workforce that fosters racial, gender, religious and ethnic diversity

Diversity in the workforce is a key success factor in BD’s ability to compete in and serve a global marketplace. By promoting racial, gender, religious and ethnic diversity, we foster diversity of ideas and perspectives that reflect our customers and the communities in which we live and work.

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• Providing safe working conditions and promoting safe behaviors in the workplace for our associates and customers

To be a great place to work, BD must be a safe place to work. BD’s worker health and safety program is built on a foundation of continuous improvement with the ultimate goal of zero workplace incidents. Workplace safety is considered a strategic key to operational effectiveness and is achieved through the systematic implementation of BD’s Safety Process Model.

BD’s commitment to customer safety is reflected in our pioneering development of safety-engineered medical devices. The Company has been at the forefront of this field for nearly two decades, and no other company has committed more money, human resources or technological know-how to reducing sharps injuries. BD's range of safety-engineered products includes hundreds of catalog items for injection, infusion therapy, sample collection, surgery and sharps disposal. 

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• Demonstrating ethical behavior by doing what is right, respecting individuals, always seeking to improve, accepting personal responsibility and complying with the laws of the land

The issue of global codes of conduct and standards is a challenging one. BD believes that certain basic rights and wrongs exist, irrespective of where one is doing business. The issues of fairness, transparency and equality are norms of behavior everywhere. These are not only required by standards such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, but for BD they are also the right thing to do. BD is committed to doing what is right, respecting individuals, always seeking to improve, accepting personal responsibility and complying with the laws of the land – both the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.

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• Providing great performance for customers and shareholders

BD’s strategy of increasing sustainable revenue growth through innovation, complemented by driving operating effectiveness and productivity to accelerate our progress, rewards both customers and shareholders. BD is committed to a very strong return of cash to our shareholders. In fiscal year 2007, we generated over $1.2 billion in operating cash flow. We returned over 56 percent (or $690 million) of our operating cash flow to shareholders. We repurchased nearly 6 million common shares for $450 million and paid dividends of $240 million. On November 20, 2007, our Board of Directors voted to increase the annual dividend by 16.3 percent to $1.14. This marks the 35th consecutive year of dividend increases for the Company. Our balance sheet remains strong and liquid, enabling future strategic investments. In fiscal 2007, BD’s three-year average return on invested capital increased to 30.8 percent in 2007 from 29.0 percent in 2006.

Use the links above to learn more about our management approach for each of our key issues.

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