WBA accelerates role as a responsible corporate citizen.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) has released At the Heart of Health 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, which outlines the impact of its commitment to the critical needs facing communities today, including access to health care, diversity and inclusion accountability and innovative and sustainable solutions including reducing its carbon footprint and generation of waste while increasing re-use and recycling.

To mark the launch of the CSR Report, WBA – along with host Bloomberg Media Brand Experiences – will welcome industry and thought leaders to “Health and Humanity: Lessons from the Global Frontline,” a virtual event that will touch on today’s most pressing issues, from vaccine equity to diversity and inclusion to sustainability.

During the event, WBA will share how it continues to expand its role as a responsible corporate citizen through commitments to its four focus areas: healthy communities, a healthy planet, an inclusive workplace and a sustainable marketplace, and supports the communities it serves with equitable access to healthcare when they need it most.

“Helping people lead healthier, happier lives is at the heart of our business,” said Ornella Barra, WBA’s co-chief operating officer and the chairman of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. “For generations, it has been both our responsibility and a business imperative to operate as a force for good for people and the planet – especially in times of crisis. Throughout the pandemic, we remain on the front line to ensure we safely provide healthcare services and support, which now includes COVID-19 vaccine administration, while also progressing in our other key CSR focus areas.”

Highlights from 2020

In 2020, the company stepped up as a force for good to support its communities and made progress on its goals by:

• Improving healthcare access and raising awareness of health issues through: COVID-19 testing in underserved communities; programs in Chicago to address health inequities; the creation of safe spaces for victims of domestic violence in Chile, Ireland and the UK; and online pharmacy and beauty support for UK cancer patients.
• Implementing safety, health, workplace flexibility and information measures for employees. These efforts earned WBA recognition from JUST Capital and Forbes, which ranked WBA 19^th on a list of the 100 largest U.S. employers for COVID-19 response.
• Holding managers accountable for increasing diversity by connecting pay incentives to results on WBA’s leadership diversity goals.
• Helping to provide vitamins to more than 250 million vulnerable women and children as well as 60 million lifesaving vaccines in developing nations through long-term partnerships.
• Reducing its carbon footprint, achieving its long-term energy intensity reduction goal across Walgreens retail space, reducing its generation of waste and increasing its recycling rate.
• Reducing unnecessary plastics from WBA’s owned brand products packaging and joining industry collaborations to reduce packaging waste.

Today’s virtual event, “Health and Humanity: Lessons from the Global Frontline,” begins at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT. The event will feature experts on health care, diversity, equity and inclusion, sustainability and pharmacy and will touch on learnings from the pandemic and ways to make health systems more equitable and resilient for the future. Panelists include Alex Gorsky, Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson; Jean-Paul Agon, CEO of L’Oréal; Valerie Jarrett, President, The Obama Foundation and Board Member of Walgreens Boots Alliance; and Dr. Sally Uren, OBE, CEO at Forum for the Future.

Read more about WBA’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts here.