Carbon Footprint
An organization’s carbon footprint is a measure of the total greenhouse gas emissions it creates. We began with a careful estimate of WellPoint’s carbon footprint. Now we’re in a position to track our progress and continually improve our record.
WellPoint has participated in the Carbon Disclosure Project since 2009, joining 339 companies from the S&P 500 and 3,000 organizations in some 60 countries around the world in reporting their effects on the environment. The project’s aims are to measure and disclose greenhouse gas emissions and climate-change strategies, set reduction targets and make performance improvements. The 2011 Carbon Disclosure Project results continue to be encouraging, as WellPoint scored above average in the health care industry. Our efforts were also recognized in the 2011 Newsweek Green Rankings in which WellPoint was ranked in the top 100 U.S. companies.
WellPoint’s carbon footprint estimate for 2010 was 244,364 metric tons of CO2. This figure reflects 62 percent from electricity use in our facilities, 29 percent from our associates’ daily commutes, 6 percent from business air travel, and 3 percent from natural gas use in our facilities. While our use of paper is not included in this analysis of our carbon footprint, we’re also sensitive to the effect that use may have on our ecological impact. In 2010, our volume of paper used decreased by 36 percent from 2009.
Our 2010 results show a 12 percent reduction in our carbon footprint compared to 2009, which is consistent with our objective to reduce our footprint by 10 percent.