On behalf of Walgreens Boots Alliance, I am delighted to share “Enabling Healthy Futures,” our Environmental, Social & Governance Report for our 2024 fiscal year.

This year, we publish our tenth WBA ESG Report and I cannot believe that 10 years have gone by already especially as I reflect on the world today compared to when we published our first Report. In this decade we have lived through unprecedented political, social, technological and, of course, healthcare change and we find ourselves in a world less stable and on the verge of an AI revolution. Throughout this time, we have never lost focus on the things that matter to our people, our customers, or our partners and, once again, as you read through the contents of our Report, I hope you will feel our commitment remains as strong today as it has always been. 

Last year, we titled our report Enabling Healthy Communities, and it enabled us to engage with our partners and team members, and to acknowledge our progress in a new and more focused way. We discussed themes such as climate change, the fight against cancer, and the state of play of healthcare in communities with an eye on what will happen, and how we will continue to make a positive impact.

This year, we wanted to build on this momentum and the continued progress we are making towards building a stronger and healthier world. Healthcare has always been central to our ESG approach, and I believe it has never been more vital for companies like Walgreens Boots Alliance to stand up for the future we want to see. I am always inspired by the way our team members strive to fulfil our strategic imperative of being the first choice for retail pharmacy and health services in local communities. In doing so, we overcome hurdles together, for a healthier and more inclusive world. 

We cannot bring this vision to life alone, and the relationships that we have built with our partners over the course of these past 10 years have been among the most important contributors in realizing our achievements. We are all thankful and extremely grateful for their support and collaboration over this time.

In doing so, keeping our team members, customers, the sustainability community, investors, and our valued partners engaged in our progress is an utmost priority, and we are mindful that they all require different levels of information. We have always striven to make our data and stories more accessible to everyone, enabling us to get closer to important disclosure themes.

To achieve this, we structure our work around four pillars of Healthy Communities, Healthy and Inclusive Workplace, Sustainable Marketplace, and Healthy Planet. In each of them I see the passion, commitment, and expertise that our incredible team members invest. To me, the report is a celebration of our people and their great work. 

As a trained pharmacist, perhaps I am biased, but it would be remiss of me not to mention NHS Pharmacy First and the role Boots pharmacies are playing in the evolution of the UK’s National Health Service. This kind of private-public partnership is exactly where we are best placed to support not only our valued patients and consumers, but also the healthcare systems that are often under pressure in the countries where we are present.

In an ever-challenging retail environment, the safety of our team members is at the top of our list. At the same time, we remain committed to training and development for team members at all levels, as well as the future generation who will work for us. 

Every year I make it a priority to express my gratitude to the many partners who we work with to magnify our commitment to healthier lives. We continue to invest in cash and in kind to partnerships in all our markets and over the past 10 years this sum has now reached more than $400 million. I invite you to join me and read about the advances we have made together in our Healthy Communities section of the report.

Having opened access around the world to the health and wellness innovation of our owned brands, I am satisfied that we now have the recognition of more credible third parties to our commitment to science, innovation and delivering authentic products and services that our consumers trust. Liz Earle was recognized by B Corp and in April 2024 Boots own-brand cosmetics and personal care range had the biggest range of Leaping Bunny approved beauty products on the UK high street. Meanwhile Walgreens in the US is developing new beauty products with sustainability in mind.

Finally, we step ever closer to 2030 and achieving our global goals for the planet and the global transition to a low carbon future. We are making progress every day across our stores by implementing initiatives that are making a difference, reducing our overall footprint. From LED lighting initiatives to electric fleet vehicles, we know that this needs to be a constant and concerted effort to deliver on our promises.

Compiling this report involves the commitment of many individuals working closely together and, once again, I would like to convey my gratitude to all our partners and team members that make it possible. I also thank the Board and Executive Committee who continue to power our journey.

Ornella Barra 

Chief Operating Officer, International and Chair of the ESG Committee