image

Sustainability at UHG

At UnitedHealth Group, sustainability is our ambition for strategic, long-term growth, embedded in our businesses and intrinsically linked by a common mission to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone.

Hear from our Leadership

headshot andrew witty

A message from our CEO

"We often say sustainability is core to our mission, to our culture and our strategy. In fact, in looking across each of our five growth priorities, it’s inextricable from our long-term ambitions."

Andrew Witty, Chief Executive Officer, UnitedHealth Group

Read more

A message from our CSO

“Our persistent commitment to sustainability serves as the foundation of our strategic growth priorities, designed to not just serve more people, but serve them better, more comprehensively and with higher-quality, more affordable care.”

Patricia L. Lewis, Chief Sustainability Officer, UnitedHealth Group

Read more

Our long-term commitments

Supported by our strategic growth priorities, our long-term commitments represent specific, measurable targets within our broader efforts to help build a modern, high-performing health system, advance health equity and contribute toward a healthy environment. As we measure and report our progress on each specific commitment, we are continuously evaluating new commitments that can further support our sustainability priorities and advance our mission. 

Building a modern, high-performing health system 

Invest $100 million to create a new philanthropic program and partnerships that will measurably advance a diverse health workforce by 2033.

$100 million

55%+ of our outpatient surgeries and radiology services will be delivered at high-quality, cost-efficient sites of care by 2030.

outpatient surgery graph

85% of our members will receive preventive care services annually by 2030.

preventative care

600 million gaps in care will be closed for our members by the end of 2025.

gap in care

Healthy environment 

Achieve a 60% reduction in scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 2030. Reach operational net-zero by 2035.

zero emissions

Invest and source 100% of our global electricity demand with renewable sources by 2030.

global electricity

Commit to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Net-Zero Standard. 

SBTi
Our sustainability priorities

Our four sustainability priorities reflect contemporary challenges, including social inequities, climate change and access to affordable, high-quality medical care. We also recognize the impact climate change has on human health, and working to minimize our footprint to help people live healthier lives. Our commitment to net-zero reflects our belief in a healthy planet as the foundation of a healthy society.

smiling boy

Our strategic growth priorities 

  • Value-based care
  • Health benefits 
  • Health technology 
  • Health financial services 
  • Pharmacy services 

Our sustainability priorities 

Sustainability governance

UnitedHealth Group has a long-standing commitment to sustainability supported by our senior leaders and Board of Directors.

Our Board of Directors — including its four committees — provides formal oversight and strategic direction for our environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda, including review and approval of key sustainability priorities, policies, performance and annual reports.

sustainability governance
Stakeholder engagement

We continued to proactively engage with stakeholders in 2022 through various forums, one-on-one discussions, surveys, active listening and regular touch points. These engagements provide a diverse group of key stakeholders the opportunity to provide direct and indirect feedback and engage in robust dialogue on our ongoing efforts to achieve our commitments.


 

Next up


Modern health system

Working to help build a modern, high-performing health system with improved access, affordability, outcomes and experiences. 

Read more

*As of Dec. 31, 2022

 

 

Download our full report for more on our actions, achievements and progress.