MINNEAPOLIS, Sep 10, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT) has released "Innovating for a Better World," the company's 2010 Corporate Citizenship Report. The online report, which references Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, is available at www.medtronic.com/2010CitizenshipReport and provides a comprehensive review of the company's commitment to global economic, social, and environmental stewardship.

The report introduces four citizenship pillars -- Global Leadership in Addressing Chronic Disease, Collaborative Culture of Innovation, Total Employee Engagement, and Progressive Environmental Stewardship -- that define and guide Medtronic's activities to achieve the greatest social and business impact.

Key fiscal year 2010 citizenship initiatives and accomplishments include:

Global Leadership in Addressing Chronic Disease

• Launch of pilot programs to expand access to cardiac therapy to patients in India.
• Launch of the Every Patient First initiative to eliminate healthcare disparity impacts in the United States.
• Total philanthropic contributions of $75.6 million to support health, education and community initiatives that address noncommunicable, chronic disease around the world.

Collaborative Culture of Innovation

• Launch of a Physician Registry, which voluntarily discloses payments made to healthcare professionals for royalties and consulting services.
• Spending $1.5 billion in research and development, with about 20 percent of that designated for new patient populations.

Total Employee Engagement

• Launch of Medtronic University, which provides learning resources to employees worldwide through an online education portal.
• Measurable reductions in the number of employees who smoke or are at-risk for cholesterol or glucose since the launch of our Total Health program.

Progressive Environmental Stewardship

• Reductions in air emissions, regulated waste, volatile organic compound emissions, energy use, CO2 emissions, and water use (normalized to revenue) compared to 2009.
• Launch of a Global Print Policy that reduced paper consumption at our Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA locations by 37 metric tonnes and is expected to yield $6.5 million in annual savings when completed in 2011.

About Medtronic

Medtronic, Inc. (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Minneapolis, is the world's leading medical technology company, alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for people with chronic disease.

SOURCE: Medtronic, Inc.

Medtronic, Inc.
Rich Fischer, 763-505-2975
Public Relations
or
Ginny Cassidy, 763-505-2998
Public Relations