Going green to protect valuable resources

Helping people stay healthy is our most important mission. And a healthy environment is part of good health. That's why we focus on:

• Decreasing emissions
• Saving water and energy
• Using renewable energy
• Recycling

Solar powered

Through 2015, our solar fields in Hartford, Middletown, and Windsor, Conn., produced 2.33 million kWh of power of our own. This is equivalent to 1,606 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions savings.

Reducing energy consumption

• Combined, energy-saving efforts across company facilities helped avoid 97.3 million kWh of electrical use between 2010 and 2015. That's equivalent to a savings of 67,106 metric tons of CO_2.
• Teleworkers saved more than 5.7 million gallons of gas and 50,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2015 alone.
• Electric vehicle charging stations at two of our campuses help encourage employees to drive electric/hybrid cars to work.

Green buildings

A two-year renovation of the Atrium building in Hartford earned us a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification. We own or lease 19 such certified buildings across the country.

We also upgraded our water fixtures at the Hartford campus, which reduced water use per employee by nearly 57 percent. Across all Aetna properties, we have saved 122 million gallons of water since 2007.

We've recycled fluorescent light bulbs since 1994, long before it was required. Since 2009, our Hartford and Blue Bell, Pa., campuses have recycled 7,948 tons of material. That’s equivalent to a savings of 22,177 metric tons of CO₂ emissions. In 2015, we also recycled 1,986 tons of confidential shredded paper.

Helping our suppliers go green

We help key suppliers find ways to improve their green business practices. We do this with an online sustainability assessment tool that measures a supplier’s engagement and proficiency level in a broad range of business practices that contribute to sustainability.

Environmental policy statement

As a health care company, we believe nothing is more important than helping people stay healthy. Aetna’s business strategy includes promoting sustainable practices nationally and internationally in furtherance of the health of our members, employees and communities in which we operate.

We are committed to limiting our own environmental impact by reducing our energy consumption, conserving environmental resources, and adopting a sustainable approach to the management and maintenance of all real estate and business processes wherever possible. We also are committed to addressing the waste that accounts for one-third of all health care costs and threatens the long-term sustainability of our health care system. To that end, we will continue to work with health care professionals to further the development and availability of quality-focused, accountable care.

Using a collaborative, multifaceted approach, we are helping to develop a healthier population with a broader sense of responsibility toward the use of health care resources and with a shared sense of commitment to nurturing a healthy environment.