CVS Health® announced a collaboration with World Wildlife Fund and the organization’s activation hub, ReSource: Plastic, that will focus on reducing plastic waste and increasing the sustainability of materials within its packaging portfolio. CVS Health joins a consortium of leading companies and organizations addressing the planet’s plastic waste crisis as the Principal Retail Member of ReSource: Plastic, driving high standards on plastic sourcing for the retail industry. ReSource: Plastic works with its member companies to maximize, measure, and multiply their impact on solving the plastic pollution crisis.

In 2020, CVS Health engaged World Wildlife Fund to audit its Store Brand packaging portfolio and launch new sustainable packaging goals. With a focus on reducing use of plastic and virgin materials and ensuring recyclability for all Store Brand products, CVS Health will annually measure its plastic and paper packaging inputs to meet key packaging goals.

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“We believe that the health of all people is connected to the health of our planet,” said Brenda Lord, Vice President of Store Brands at CVS Health. “That’s why we’re committed to operating our business in a sustainable and environmentally-responsible way, especially through our portfolio of Store Brands products. Through World Wildlife Fund’s ReSource: Plastic initiative we will track, measure, and report on our impact as we work to deliver on our Healthy 2030 goals.”

Through its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Healthy 2030, CVS Health’s goals to create a healthier and more sustainable world include the following:

• Ensure all packaging for Store Brands products is 100% reusable, recyclable, compostable, is or can be returned for proper disposal at the end of life by 2030.
• Reduce plastic use in operations by 50% by 2030.
• Reduce single-use virgin plastic in Store Brand packaging by 50% by 2030.
• Ensure all Store Brand paper-based packaging is from recycled or certified sustainably sourced content by 2025.
• Define a list of packaging to be designated as problematic or unnecessary by 2023 and take measures to eliminate them by 2030.

“Businesses have the potential to help change the trajectory of our global plastic waste crisis,” said Erin Simon, Head of Plastic Waste and Business, World Wildlife Fund. “By joining ReSource: Plastic, CVS Health has set the example for the retail industry – committing to transparent and measurable action. We’re excited to work together to identify goals and expand the scope of our ReSource work.”

Source: CVS Health