Walgreens Boots Alliance shares 2021 ESG report
Walgreens Boots Alliance unveiled its latest Environmental, Social and Governance 2021 report.
The report outlines the company’s commitment to its four corporate responsibility pillars — healthy communities, healthy planet, healthy and inclusive workplace, and sustainable marketplace.
The report highlights the company’s work in health and vaccine equity while also outlining the ongoing progress WBA has made on sustainability targets and initiatives, including a reduction in global carbon emissions by 14.9% from a 2019 baseline.
[Read more: Walgreens Boots Alliance shares 2020 CSR report]
“We have made much progress over the past year, solidifying our ongoing commitment to our four pillars,” Ornella Barra, WBA’s chief operating officer, international and chair of the company’s corporate social responsibility committee, said. “At Walgreens Boots Alliance, we have cemented our role as a corporate leader, led by example with our health equity initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and laid the groundwork for our part in creating a sustainable and livable planet for the generations who will come after us.”
Highlights from the latest report include the following:
- Partnered with hundreds of community organizations on its Vaccine Equity Initiative to combat vaccine hesitancy and ensure life-saving immunizations reach communities that struggle to access healthcare;
- Administered more than 34 million COVID-19 vaccinations in fiscal 2021, including more than 15 million doses in high social vulnerability impact areas;
- Launched an innovative Recycle @ Boots in-store recycling program through Boots UK and No7 Beauty Company to provide hard-to-recycle beauty, health and wellness items in more than 700 stores;
- Increased proportion of women in leadership roles globally by 2.3 percentage points;
- Donated more than 680,000 toiletries and essentials to people living in hygiene poverty through its partnership with The Hygiene Bank, Boots UK and No7 Beauty; and
- Launched a global Supplier Sustainability program for WBA-owned brands.
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Six months into fiscal 2022, WBA continues its progress with a commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2030 from a 2019 baseline, the company said.
More than 1 million hard-to-recycle items have now been deposited in the Recycle @Boots program. In addition, to combat maternal health disparities, Walgreens launched a pilot program with partner Vitamin Angels to provide free prenatal vitamins to expectant mothers in select Chicago stores. Those are just two examples of the continuing progress WBA has made in its corporate responsibility pillars.
[Read More: Walgreens to host Supplier Diversity Summit]
“I am so encouraged by the remarkable and impactful progress we’ve made over the years,” Richard Ellis, WBS vice president of corporate social responsibility, said. “We will continue to move forward in an effort to reimagine healthcare for a new era while doing all we can to inspire more joyful lives through better health with our sustainability initiatives and healthcare commitments.”