Aetna’s commitment to a healthy environment

As a company long focused on leadership in corporate responsibility, Aetna is committed to fulfilling the goals outlined in our environmental policy statement by further reducing our carbon footprint. This significant commitment of resources has generated award-winning initiatives that have helped Aetna earn recognition as a company committed to protecting our most valued resources.

New milestone in energy-use reduction

In 2010, Aetna hit an important milestone – it was the first year in which energy use declined at all major Aetna-owned facilities. In fact, Aetna saved 6.4 million kilowatt hours (KWH) across the enterprise over the past three years.

Aetna’s energy-reduction strategy capitalized on the availability of newer, more energy-efficient technology. We also advanced our goals by finding creative ways to leverage existing technologies. For example, we employed the use of a water side economizer, a heat exchange technology that is typically used in office buildings, in our around-the-clock data centers. When outside temperatures allow, water is chilled naturally and then circulated through the facility to cool the I.T. infrastructure.

Turning an 80-year-old building 'green'

In 2006, Aetna launched a multi-year construction project to upgrade the Hartford, CT, campus, which includes a 1931 Georgian Revival building and a 1972 addition called the Atrium Building. Essentially completed in early 2010, the project has enabled Aetna to make important new strides in environmental leadership.

A few notable highlights of the project include:

• The cafeteria and kitchen facilities have been replaced with new, more energy-efficient equipment, and more environmentally friendly food-serving practices have been implemented.
• The complete renovation of the Atrium Building was a certified “green” project. We are seeking prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the project, which featured extensive use of renewable materials, energy-saving electrical devices and infrastructure designed to reduce water use.
• We replaced 1,169 wooden windows in the original building with new, more energy-efficient windows that are helping to reduce our energy consumption.
• We are growing plants in the roof top courtyard outside the Education Center to help reduce heat load and energy consumption.
• The demolition of our 1.3 million-square-foot facility in Middletown, CT this year prompted a massive, new recycling effort. From the building, we so far have recycled 2,572 tons of steel, 444 tons of ceiling tiles, 656 pallets of carpeting, and approximately 50,000 light bulbs.

Harnessing the power of telework

Aetna also took steps several years ago to encourage carpooling and telecommuting to help reduce commuter traffic and the pollutants it generates. Today, formal teleworking arrangements have increased significantly, and employees have access to more programs that support carpooling and offer financial incentives not to drive.

The results have been impressive. Aetna’s teleworkers are reducing Aetna’s carbon footprint by saving more than 79 million miles per year, which saves more than 3.3 million gallons of gas and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 29,000 metric tons per year.

Other important initiatives and commitments include:

• We changed the way we do business with our key suppliers by implementing a sustainability framework that encourages an ongoing dialogue about sustainability issues and measures supplier performance over a broad, diverse array of sustainability categories. We have developed a 15-question sustainability assessment with quantitative measures, in support of this effort.
• Aetna is a participant in the Business Roundtable's Climate RESOLVE initiative and is one of the companies featured in the Business Roundtable’s 2011 sustainability report titled "Innovating Sustainability."
• Aetna is using more environmentally friendly paper sources for corporate marketing materials, an effort that in 2010 saved 283 tons of paper, equal to 1,979 trees, and prevented 878 million BTUs of energy use.
• At Aetna-owned facilities, we recycle paper, cardboard, glass and plastic bottles, and Aetna uses EnergyStar® devices and automatic shut-off switches to minimize power consumption.
• We are installing new or upgraded water filtration and chilling systems in many Aetna locations to discourage the use of individual plastic water bottles and reduce our waste stream.
• Aetna has recycled fluorescent light bulbs since 1994, long before it was required.
  

Awards and recognition

Our commitment to a healthy environment has netted important recognitions:

• Aetna has been named a 2011  International Data Group InfoWorld Green 15 Awards winner for eliminating paper from the contracting process for health care professionals. Aetna is the first health insurer to offer electronic contract processing to doctors, hospitals and other health care facilities.
• Aetna’s innovative efforts to address global climate change were recognized with a 2009 Connecticut Climate Change Leadership Award by the State of Connecticut.
• Aetna earned LEED Silver certification in 2009 for the environmentally friendly construction of the Aetna Customer Center within its 78-year-old headquarters building in Hartford.
• The Clean Air Campaign presented Aetna with a 2008 PACE Spotlight Award for the impact of its telework program in the Atlanta area.
• The EPA recognized Aetna in 2006 as one of the “Best Workplaces for Commuters from the Fortune 500 Companies” – helping to reduce vehicular pollution.
  

Achieving Sustainability Video