Redesigning a Prescription for a Better World: CVS Quits Cigarettes for Good
- 10 years ago
Originally published on Sustainable Brands
CVS realized that selling cigarettes was inconsistent with its mission as a pharmacy to make people healthier. So the company decided to abandon an estimated $2B annually by discontinuing the sale of tobacco, leading to what some are calling the "CVS Effect": brands making bold and risky changes to reflect their principles. At SB'14, Eileen Howard Boone, SVP of CSR for CVS, discussed the overwhelmingly positive stakeholder, influencer, and social support for the move and the consumer response.
CVS realized that selling cigarettes was inconsistent with its mission as a pharmacy to make people healthier. So the company decided to abandon an estimated $2B annually by discontinuing the sale of tobacco, leading to what some are calling the "CVS Effect": brands making bold and risky changes to reflect their principles. At SB'14, Eileen Howard Boone, SVP of CSR for CVS, discussed the overwhelmingly positive stakeholder, influencer, and social support for the move and the consumer response.