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      Stakeholder Engagement

      CVS Health recognizes that advancing our Healthy 2030 roadmap and achieving our goals requires the input and collaboration of a diverse set of external and internal stakeholders. We maintain regular, open communication with a broad range of stakeholders who help us understand how we can best advance our purpose and Healthy 2030 roadmap. We are fortunate to have many partners engaged in our work, and we are committed to our efforts to establish a two-way dialogue with advocates, policymakers, shareholders, customers, colleagues, partners and patients. We rely on their insights and feedback to develop and execute on our impact strategy.

      Engagement highlights

      We value collaboration with our suppliers and throughout the year engage with them on our priorities. Recent key supplier engagements include:

      • Electronic invoicing initiative with Cardinal Health, one of our largest suppliers, is saving over 36,000-44,000 pieces of paper a year, while helping both companies advance commitments to reduce our impacts.
      • Environmental data collection through CDP Supply Chain for 80 percent of our suppliers, by spend, to target opportunities for GHG emissions reduction.
      • Store Brand suppliers provide packaging data through our participation in WWF’s ReSource Plastic initiative. 

      We make significant progress to drive forward initiatives that will reduce impacts across our supply chain, take action against climate change, and support the health of all people by collaborating with industry-leading subject matter experts.

      • In 2021, CVS Health was among the first of seven companies to have our greenhouse gas emissions reduction target verified by the Science-Based Target Initiative’s Net-Zero Standard.
      • Participated in reusable bag pilots through Beyond the Bag Consortium in collaboration with more than 375 retail locations and 160 other retailers in three different markets to reduce single-use bags. We joined forces with the World Wildlife Fund to complete an audit of plastic packaging within our Store Brand product portfolio and develop our packaging goals, while becoming the first retailer to join ReSource: Plastic.

      The feedback we receive from all stakeholders is valuable in shaping our decisions and we regularly collect feedback from our colleagues, customers, clients, members and patients. This guidance helps us determine both how we’re doing, and how we can deliver on our purpose to meet their needs. Each year, we:

      • Measure the satisfaction of our PBM clients twice through a web-based survey and used their feedback to improve our services and client relationships, resulting in 98 percent of clients reporting they were satisfied with our services.
      • Collect feedback from our healthcare benefit commercial members that 93 percent were satisfied.
      • Offer colleagues throughout our organization as well as our Board of Directors the opportunity to participate in our biennial assessment of priority topics to guide our strategy.

      Our partners

      Alliance for a Healthier Generation
      We are working with Alliance for a Healthier Generation to educate students, educators, parents and other adults on the dangerous impacts of tobacco and vaping with a goal to create the first tobacco- and nicotine-free generation.
       
      Alzheimer’s Association
      Our support of the Alzheimer’s Association is helping to expand provider education and diagnosis resources for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers.
       
      America’s Essential Hospitals
      With support from the CVS Health Foundation, we are supporting a new learning collaborative to improve obstetric outcomes in safety-net hospitals that have maternal mortality rates above the national average, especially among Black patients.
       
      American Cancer Society
      In partnership with the American Cancer Society, we’ve created the Tobacco-Free Generation Campus Initiative, a grant program helping U.S. colleges and universities implement tobacco-free policies.
       
      American Diabetes Association
      Together with the American Diabetes Association, we help prevent and manage diabetes, as well as fund research on the health disparities that fuel the diabetes epidemic for the more than 122 million people are living with diabetes or prediabetes in the U.S.
       
      American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
      We’re supporting access to training for colleagues and plan sponsors through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Talk Saves Lives program as well as funding educational programs to reduce barriers to treatment and save lives in Black communities.
       
      American Heart Association
      As a national sponsor of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement, our fundraising commitments support life-saving cardiovascular research and education.
       
      American Lung Association
      Through a long-standing partnership with the American Lung Association we have raised millions of dollars to support lung research and advocacy for all those impacted by lung disease.
       
      American Public Health Association
      Through our Foundation we’re working with the American Public Health Association to support community health and wellness and challenge local communities to build impactful programs and solutions be healthier.
       
      Billion Dollar Roundtable
      As a member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable, have joined 26 U.S. companies to promote excellence in supply-chain diversity.
       
      Business Roundtable
      We have been long-standing members of the Business Roundtable and have leveraged their expertise on corporate governance. Most recently, our CEO signed their updated Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation to highlight our commitment to lead with the goal of benefiting all stakeholders — customers, employees, suppliers, communities and shareholders.
       
      Business for Social Responsibility
      Business for Social Responsibility helped us undergo a human rights impact assessment and develop a formal Human Rights Policy in alignment with U.N. Guiding Principles.
       
      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
      Our work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has focused on advancing public health initiatives and working to reduce tobacco use.
       
      Ceres
      CVS Health is a proud member of Ceres, and our ongoing collaboration informs the evolution of our sustainability strategy and commitments.
       
      Closed Loop Partners
      Together with Closed Loop Partners, and other leading retailers, we are striving to reinvent the single-use retail plastic bag. The Beyond the Bag Initiative aims to identify, pilot and implement new design solutions and models to create an improved customer experience without unintended environmental consequences.
       
      Council Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP)
      CECP’s purpose is to empower companies to drive long-term business success through positive social impact. Our CSR & Philanthropy team works closely with the organization on key benchmarking tied to strategic impact investing and colleague engagement, including our annual participation in the Giving in Numbers Survey.
       
      Disability:IN Supplier Diversity
      CVS Health partners with Disability:IN to promote disability-owned business enterprises (DOBEs), including service-disabled veteran-owned business enterprises (SDV-DOBEs).
       
      DiversityInc
      We believe diversity and innovation go hand in hand. CVS Health engages with DiversityInc to inform our policies and adopt best-in-class practices.
       
      Friends of the Earth
      We have joined forces with Friends of the Earth to ensure that partners throughout our Store Brand supply chain are aware of best-practices in safe pesticide management and have the tools and resources they need to embed them.
       
      Green Chemistry and Commerce Council
      Green Chemistry and Commerce Council is helping our quality assurance team learn more about chemicals of consumer concern and sharing best practices for safer alternatives.
       
      Human Rights Campaign
      To ensure we provide the best possible experience for the LGBTQ+ community and have engaged with the Human Rights Campaign over the years on resource development including a guide for pharmacists and pharmacy staff, and have been recognized on their Corporate Equality Index for our commitments to workplace equality.
       
      Mental Health America
      We are working together with Mental Health America to reach two million individuals through mental health screenings and support specifically to understand the unique needs of Black, Indigenous and other communities of color.
       
      National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
      Through long-standing work with NACHC, we’re supporting the development of innovative programs focused on treating and managing chronic disease.
       
      National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NAFCC)
      Grants awarded in partnership with NAFCC have allowed clinics to increase operating hours and patient visits, decrease emergency room visits and improve patient compliance.
       
      Retail Industry Leaders Association
      As a member of the Retail Industry Leaders Association, we join other retailers to share industry best practices, find solutions to minimize waste and improve the sustainability of our products.
       
      Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
      As part of our commitment to source all palm oil from verified, responsible sources by 2020, we joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.
       
      Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families (SCHF) Coalition
      Our work with the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Coalition advances our work to address chemicals of consumer concern in our beauty and personal care products.
       
      Science Based Targets Initiative
      As part of our work to reduce our climate impacts, we’ve committed to establishing a science-based target for lowering our greenhouse gas emissions, aligned with global emissions budgets.
       
      Sustainable Packaging Coalition
      As members of the Sustainable Packaging coalition, we engage with subject matter experts and peers to advance the sustainability of packaging for our Store Brands products, including through participation in the How2Recycle program.
       
      UNCF
      We have joined forces with UNCF (formerly United Negro College Fund) to support the educational aspirations for Black and Latinx students pursuing careers in health care through a $5 million scholarship program.
       
      United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)
      CVS Health became the first pharmacy retailer to join the UNGC in 2018 and collaborate on driving progress to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
       
      United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
      CVS Health partners with the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to promote and demonstrate our commitment to Hispanic-owned enterprises across our supply chain.
       
      World Wildlife Fund
      Since 2020 we have leveraged the strategic guidance of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to assess the impacts of plastics within our supply chain on the environment. We are proud to be the Principal Retail Member of ReSource: Plastic to support efforts to establish high standards on plastic sourcing.