Responsible palm oil sourcing policy

Background

At CVS Pharmacy, we are dedicated to providing our customers with quality store brand products. We apply robust standards to the production of every item to help ensure the highest level of product quality and safety. We continuously look for opportunities to develop new product formulations that meet the evolving consumer desire to use sustainable materials. Whenever possible, we seek to reduce, remove, or reformulate our products to use ingredients that are safe, effective and available. Palm oil is a versatile raw material and one of the most commonly used vegetable oils. Palm oil can be found in store brand food products, as well as several home and personal care products.

Responsibly produced palm oil

As part of our commitment to sustainability, we are working to ensure that all palm oil used in our store brand products will come from verified, responsible sources supported by delivery through fully traceable supply chains by 2020. We will require that our suppliers adhere to the RSPO Principles & Criteria on palm oil and palm oil derivative sourcing. This will help mitigate deforestation and avoid planting on peat lands not developed or expanded on illegal or customary use lands without the free, prior and informed consent of local communities and free of human rights violations including forced and child labor, human trafficking and poor working conditions. By the end of 2020, all store brand products shipped to our distribution centers will adhere to these guidelines.

On-going reporting

CVS Pharmacy will report on our progress towards sourcing 100% responsibly produced palm oil and palm oil derivatives in our annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report