Smith & Nephew Joins World Environment Center to Advance Sustainable Business Practices

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) Washington, D.C. - January 18, 2011—Smith & Nephew plc (LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN), the global medical technology business, and the World Environment Center (WEC) jointly announced today that Smith & Nephew has been elected as WEC’s newest Corporate Member. Headquartered in London, England, Smith & Nephew operates in 32 countries, with major manufacturing operations in the U.S. and the U.K., as well as in Europe and China.   Smith & Nephew has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and, most recently, reinforced its leadership with the creation of a role of Senior Vice President of Corporate Sustainability. Smith & Nephew believes that incorporating environmental and social considerations into the business culture will yield benefits to our global customers and shareholders though improved efficiencies, reduced environmental impacts, enhanced community engagement and stronger brand awareness.    Don Young, Senior Vice President Corporate Sustainability for Smith & Nephew who represents the company to WEC said, “Since I was appointed to my new role at Smith & Nephew in July 2010, I have been working with our talented and committed teams throughout our global operations to evaluate and strengthen our Health, Safety and Environment and our broader sustainability strategies. Our membership with the World Environment Center provides a unique opportunity to collaborate with other global industry leaders to identify and deliver pragmatic, sustainable business solutions. I very much look forward to a productive relationship with this powerful collection of business sector leaders.”   “The World Environment Center welcomes Smith & Nephew as the first company from the medical technology sector into its membership,” stated Terry F. Yosie, WEC’s President and CEO.  “Smith & Nephew’s focus on innovation and value creation is a key ingredient of a successful sustainable development strategy that provides thought leadership well beyond its own business sector.”   Enquiries Smith & Nephew Don Young                                                                              Tel: +1 (901)399-5682 Senior Vice President Corporate Sustainability Liz Hewitt                                                                                Tel: +44 (0) 20  7 401 7646 Group Director Corporate Affairs   World Environment Center                                             Virginia Fuller                                                                            Tel: +1 (202) 312 1211                                                                  About the World Environment Center The World Environment Center, headquartered in Washington, D.C. with offices and operations in emerging and developed markets, is unique in its direct application of sustainable development strategies and practices to the business operations of its member companies. WEC creates sustainable business solutions through individual projects in emerging markets; convenes leadership roundtables to shape strategic thinking across a range of sustainability topics; and honors industry excellence through its annual Gold Medal Award for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development. An independent non-profit organization, WEC conducts no advocacy activities. For more information, please visit www.wec.org.    About Smith & Nephew Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business with global leadership positions in Orthopaedics; including Reconstruction, Trauma and Clinical Therapies; Endoscopy; including Sports Medicine; and Advanced Wound Management. Smith & Nephew is a global leader in arthroscopy and advanced wound management and is one of the leading global orthopaedics companies.   Smith & Nephew is dedicated to helping improve people's lives. The Company prides itself on the strength of its relationships with its surgeons and professional healthcare customers, with whom its name is synonymous with high standards of performance, innovation and trust. The Company has distribution channels, purchasing agents and buying entities in over 90 countries worldwide. Annual sales in 2009 were nearly $3.8 billion.   Trademark of Smith & Nephew. Certain marks registered US Patent and Trademark Office.

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