JIM HEAVERSEDGE DESIGN LTD
Project management | Creative direction | Social media content | Video direction | Digital content
Walgreens Boots Alliance
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report
WBA employs more than 325,000 people and has a presence in nine countries through its portfolio of consumer brands: Walgreens, Boots, Duane Reade, the No7 Beauty Company, Benavides in Mexico and Ahumada in Chile. Additionally, WBA has a portfolio of healthcare-focused investments located in several countries, including China and the U.S.
The company is proud of its contributions to healthy communities, a healthy planet, an inclusive workplace and a sustainable marketplace. WBA has been recognized for its commitment to operating sustainably: the company is an index component of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) and was named among the 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2022.
The annual ESG Report holds significant importance and is unveiled during a global event, traditionally spearheaded by the Walgreens team in the United States. This meticulous process spans approximately eight to nine months and engages team members from diverse regions globally. My team was entrusted with the task of refining the content to produce a report that is both brand-aligned and aesthetically compelling.
This year, we were inspired by the "Waste to Art" motif. This theme was conceived after a visionary entrepreneur approached the corporate team with her established business of repurposing leftover or excess makeup powders into watercolour paints.
Our challenge was to craft the report's design to resonate with this watercolour narrative. It was essential to integrate photographs of team members from various global locations consistently throughout the report. Although we initially considered collaborating with a watercolour artist for the front cover illustration, we ultimately decided on a fusion of watercolour and photography. This amalgamation culminated in a distinctive cover concept and a consistent thematic treatment for the included images. Moreover, to accentuate the "Waste to Art" theme, we commissioned a watercolour artist to employ the repurposed makeup paints to design the cover's background, symbolically crafting the report from recycled materials.
We produced the report in two formats: a landscape version for online use, and a portrait version for print. The online landscape format was designed for easy screen viewing, while the printed portrait copies were shared with all C-Suite executives and were available to anyone in the company upon request.
For the launch event, we used short videos to introduce each section of the report. These videos matched the report's design, including the watercolour effect, tying everything together nicely.
A series of videos of differing lengths were made for social media, teasing the ESG report's launch and highlighting the cover art's unique nature.
Social media teaser videos
Concepts for 2023 ESG Report cover
We tackled two main themes for the 2023 ESG Report cover: extending the waste-to-art idea from the 2022 edition and celebrating Boots' 175th anniversary.
The waste-to-art theme took inspiration from Carl Warner's "foodscapes," focusing on the unique textures, shapes, and colours of products from Boots, Walgreens, and No7. We arranged these elements into landscapes and cityscapes, using 3D renders to reinforce a realistic look and feel. This concept was designed to be versatile, aiming for application across various marketing departments.
For the 175th anniversary, we revisited the corporate grid pattern, blending archival and contemporary photography to showcase the evolution of Boots and Walgreens. Building on the positive feedback from the 2022 report's watercolour theme, we decided to apply a watercolour effect to all images, linking the past and present with a creative touch.
