Stakeholder engagement

CVS Health maintains regular, open communication with a broad range of stakeholders who help us understand how we can best advance our purpose and Healthy 2030 ESG 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 ESG strategy.

2021 engagement highlights

We value collaboration with our suppliers and throughout the year engage with them on our ESG priorities,  key supplier engagements in 2021 included:

  • Cause marketing campaign with Proctor & Gamble to support the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to help children achieve their best health when heading back to school.
  • Fee heart health screenings at MinuteClinic offered by Johnson & Johnson to support the American Heart Association during National Women’s Health Week.
  • Environmental data collection through CDP Supply Chain for 80 percent of our suppliers, by spend, to target opportunities for GHG emissions reduction.

Our work to advance health equity in local communities and address health disparities is directly linked to addressing racial inequity. Through local charitable partners, we are helping to increase community-based access to health care for underserved and at-risk populations, addressing the key social determinants of health, and creating innovative approaches to managing chronic diseases. Our work in 2021 focused on supporting historically disenfranchised communities: 

  • Through support from the CVS Health Foundation, America’s Essential Hospitals is working to establish 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.
  • As part of a CVS Health Foundation grant collaboration with Mental Health America, we set a goal to reach 2 million individuals through mental health screenings and follow up support to meet the unique mental health needs of Black, Indigenous and other communities of color.
  • Funding to Feeding America provided more than 159 million meals for people who are food insecure with an estimated 40% going to people in communities of color.

Collaboration with stakeholders helps us advance our sustainability strategy. We leverage the guidance we receive from industry-leading subject matter experts to support our commitment to creating a healthier planet. In 2021, we made 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:

  • In October 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.
  • With insight and support from Friends of the Earth, we developed a policy that would reduce the presence of harmful pesticides in our private label supply chain for food and beverage products.
  • 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. In 2021, we:

  • Measured 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 99 percent of clients reporting they were satisfied with our services.
  • Collected feedback from our healthcare benefit commercial members that 94 percent were satisfied.
  • Offered colleagues throughout our organization as well as our Board of Directors the opportunity to participate in our biennial prioritization assessment of ESG 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

AThrough 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.

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Together we’re focused on educating youth on the dangers of e-cigarettes, integrating tobacco prevention into mentoring programs, and developing online training for anti-smoking advocates.

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.

National Council of La Raza

CVS Health is proud to partner with National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and provide support centered on improving health outcomes for Hispanic communities.

National Council on Aging

We work with the National Council on Aging to offer ways for older Americans with limited income to get the benefits through federal, state, local and private benefit programs.

National LGBT Chamber of Commerce

We partner with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) to expand our supplier diversity program to include certified LGBT Business Enterprises.

National Minority Supplier Development Council

We partner with National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) to create business opportunities for certified minority business enterprises.

National Veteran Business Development Council

We partner with National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC) to engage with veteran-owned businesses

National Veteran Owned Business Association

CVS Health partners with National Veteran Owned Business Association (NaVOBA) to create opportunities for all of America’s veteran-owned businesses.

Ocean Conservancy 

As a member of Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas Alliance, we share best practices with industry peers and experts to explore new ways to reduce the environmental impact of our operations, including our packaging.

Operation Gratitude

To support our nation’s veterans, military members and their families, we have joined forces with Operation Gratitude to donation care packages and funds through colleague engagement initiatives and cause marketing campaigns. 

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.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

We have partnered with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation an organization that has long fought to end smoking in the U.S., to advance our Be the First initiative.

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

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 Brands

As a proud corporate member of the Sustainable Brands network, we engage with peers and industry thought-leaders to share best practices and advance our CSR strategy.

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.

Uber Health

In collaboration with Uber Health, we are providing free transportation to people who need it most when seeking access to medical care, work or educational programs in an effort to advance health equity across the U.S.

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 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.

US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce

CVS Health partners with US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce (USPAAC) to achieve successful contracting relationships and business growth in the mainstream marketplace in the U.S., Asia, and the Indian sub-continent.

Women’s Business Enterprise National Council

CVS Health partners with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council to promote and continue to build relationships with women 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.