Measuring Emissions

Measuring and Reducing Our Greenhouse Gas Emissions

We first reported our carbon footprint in 2008 and have continued to monitor our emissions closely in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, published by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). In 2011, we continued our partnership with a third-party environmental consultancy to help us evaluate our measurement techniques and progress toward our carbon reduction goal.

Our stores account for the vast majority of our GHG emissions, so we measure carbon intensity per square foot of retail space. This measurement helps to normalize our emissions so we can more accurately gauge the effectiveness of our GHG reduction initiatives and set meaningful performance targets. Although we experienced a marginal increase of less than 1.3 percent in absolute emissions in 2011, due to the growth of our retail footprint, our intensity per square foot of retail space slightly decreased during this same time.

What We Measure

The boundary set for our carbon footprint evaluation is based on available data and industry standards, as defined by the WBCSD. We included the energy used in all CVS/pharmacy stores, distribution centers and corporate offices, as well as emissions from business travel and product deliveries.

Progress toward our Carbon Reduction Goal

In 2011, we continued our participation in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and made progress toward our carbon intensity goal. Joining the CDP and setting a long-term goal provided a roadmap to help us drive environmental performance across the business and engage leadership on sustainability issues. We have already seen the positive impact and return on investment of these operational enhancements, including energy use reductions across our facilities. Moving forward, we will continue to report our progress annually through the CDP and in our CSR Reports.

TOTAL CARBON FOOTPRINT IN CO2 EQUIVALENT EMISSIONS,
BY TYPE AND PER METRIC TONNES

TOTAL ENERGY USAGE, BY TYPE, FOR 2009-2011

¹ Data represents total electricity consumption (in megawatt hours) at CVS distribution centers, stores and administrative locations.

² Data represents total natural gas consumption at CVS distribution centers, stores and administrative locations. Totals exclude oil and propane usage at exclusively Caremark facilities and facilities with landlord paid utilities.

³ Data represents total propane and oil usage at CVS distribution centers, stores and administrative locations. Propane and oil usage was not reported in 2009 and is not included. Totals exclude oil and propane usage at exclusively Caremark facilities and facilities with landlord paid utilities.

⁴ Data represents total fuel consumption for deliveries, car fleet, employee travel, company-owned cars and air fleet.