CVS’ new graduate teams help offset over ¼ million car miles
Two-hundred-and-fifty CVS graduates, who joined its new graduate programme last year, are helping to offset the carbon produced by 250,000 car miles.
Each graduate received a CVS recycled steel water bottle – for use throughout their new graduate programme and beyond – which has led to the planting of 250 mangrove tree saplings in Kenya.
For each water bottle given, the bottle supplier has made a donation to Eden, a US non-profit organisation working with underprivileged local communities around the world to regrow forests and rebuild healthy ecosystems.
Eden’s ‘employ to plant’ approach ensures forests are protected over time, and that local workers are fairly reimbursed. They have planted over 1 billion trees globally.
To plant CVS’ trees, Eden has hired local community members to reforest the mangrove ecosystems in Tudor Creek, Kenya. The project will help lift local communities out of extreme poverty while restoring their local environment.
The 250 trees planted on CVS’ behalf will store will store 76,875 kg CO₂ over the next 25 years. This is enough to offset over ¼ million car miles or 59 flights between London and San Francisco[i].
Gail Mclean, CVS New Graduate Programme co-ordinator said:
“The mangrove saplings our bottles have planted will grow healthily in mud at Tudor Creek to begin to restore the ecosystem of the area. Our graduates are thrilled to be supporting this tree planting programme and the local communities involved.”
CVS Group has set stretching targets with the aim of becoming a more sustainable company. They include targets to significantly reduce the company’s environmental impact: reducing energy use by 5% and cutting medical waste and waste disposed of by incineration by 5% in the year to July 2024. CVS progress and targets are outlined in the company’s 2023 Sustainability Report 2023 [ii].
[i] 267,048 miles driven The average gasoline-powered vehicle emits roughly 1 kg CO₂e per 3.5 miles, according to the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. 59 flights taken The average London to San Francisco flight emissions per passenger is 1,303 kg CO₂e, according to UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.