Walgreens Named Top Performer, Leader for Freight Supply Chain Efficiency and Environmental Performance

DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) (Nasdaq: WAG) today received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2012 SmartWay Excellence Award, the organization’s highest recognition for demonstrated leadership in supply chain goods movement. The award – recognizing Walgreens as an industry leader in freight supply chain efficiency, performance and environmental sustainability – was announced at the American Trucking Associations Annual Management Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas.

“EPA is pleased to recognize this year’s Excellence Award recipients and I commend Walgreens for its leadership in moving goods efficiently and reducing the environmental impact of freight through the second generation SmartWay Transport program”

By optimizing routes to be more efficient and creating more effective ways to decrease empty miles when no product was being hauled, Walgreens fleet decreased its carbon footprint by nearly 15 percent between 2010 and 2011, according to SmartWay data. The fleet serves all of the company’s locations within the continental U.S. More than 3,000 companies participate in the SmartWay program. Of those, Walgreens is one of 40 companies to receive this award.

“Walgreens is always looking for innovative ways to improve performance when it comes to efficiency and environmental sustainability,” said Reuben Slone, Walgreens senior vice president of supply chain management. “We continue exploring new technologies and strategies to improve fuel efficiency, lower costs and encourage stewardship of the environment.”

This year’s EPA SmartWay award is the first time awardees were recognized for environmental performance using data based on the results of the program’s “second generation” quantification and reporting tools. SmartWay participants are all now using these tools to conduct detailed reporting of their freight operations. This performance benchmarking helps to inform industry and the marketplace on freight operations’ energy and environmental efficiency, supply chain carbon and emissions performance, and helps to optimize operations.

"EPA is pleased to recognize this year’s Excellence Award recipients and I commend Walgreens for its leadership in moving goods efficiently and reducing the environmental impact of freight through the second generation SmartWay Transport program,” said Chris Grundler, Acting Director of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality. “This commitment is helping lead the freight industry to a more sustainable future."

For more information about SmartWay and Excellence Award recipients, visit http://www.epa.gov/smartway/partner-resources/awards.htm.

About Walgreens

As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2012 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) vision is to become America’s first choice for health and daily living. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 7,944 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.

About SmartWay

EPA launched SmartWay (http://www.epa.gov/smartway/) in 2004 to help business improve the sustainability of their freight supply chains. Today the Partnership consists of nearly 3,000 Partners, representing a cross section of the freight supply chain industry. As of today, SmartWay Partners have saved 55 million barrels of oil. This is equivalent to taking over 3 million cars off the road for an entire year. SmartWay’s clean air achievements (23.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, 478,000 tons nitrogen oxides, and 22,000 tons of particulate matter reduced so far) help protect the health and well-being of citizens while contributing to our nation’s economic and energy security.