Walgreens and Boots UK worked to reduce waste in various ways during fiscal 2020. Boots UK signed up for the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap and Step Up to the Plate pledge in fiscal 2019. Led by WRAP, the collective, ambitious target is to reduce food waste by 50 percent by 2030, in line with SDG target 12.3.
In fiscal 2020, Boots UK employees were introduced to the Boots Environmental Experts (BEE) online training, designed to engage colleagues and further Boots UK environmental targets. More than 14,000 Boots UK employees completed training in fiscal 2020 and broader engagement is anticipated in fiscal 2021.
In November 2019, Walgreens distribution centers joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WasteWise program. WasteWise is the first U.S. voluntary solid waste reduction program, designed to encourage organizations to reduce municipal solid waste through waste prevention, recycling, and buying or manufacturing recycled products. As a WasteWise member, Walgreens is required to establish three new waste prevention activities, expand or improve its current recycling efforts, and purchase or manufacture additional products with recycled content.
In fiscal 2020, Walgreens diverted more than 2 million pounds (more than 907,000 kilograms) of products from landfills across the U.S. by donating unsold or discontinued products like food, toiletries and household items to a variety of nonprofit organizations.