CooperVision on reducing environmental impact

“We believe a brighter tomorrow starts with all of us, today,” Heath Clash, director of communications for Europe, Middle East and Africa at CooperVision, told OT in a conversation about initiatives to make sustainable changes in the contact lens sector.

“We’re proudly taking steps to operate more sustainably, striving to minimise our possible environmental impact for the greater benefit of people and planet. By facilitating the responsible sourcing of materials, reusing waste where we can, and starting to offset waste from our products and packaging that cannot be reused, we’re taking strides to improve the wellbeing of our planet,” Clash added.

Discussing how the company measures the effectiveness of the initiatives it has in place, Clash shared that priorities in managing greenhouse gas emissions include measurement of its GHG footprint, including Scope 3 emissions, which refer to direct emissions from owned or controlled sources.

The company also measures energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades, and has increased employee engagement and training.

Here are three things OT learnt about CooperVision’s initiatives to reduce its impact on the planet.

1 Reducing the impact of production

CooperVision has introduced a number of initiatives to support sustainability efforts. Recently the company has increased the efficiency of production equipment by reducing compressed air consumption by 20% for six contact lens manufacturing lines.

This has saved 820,219 kilowatt hours (kWh), equivalent to 8,353 million British thermal units (MMBtu). The reduction also saved 104,409 liquified natural gas gallons.

The company introduced and has maintained 100% renewable electricity sourcing at a range of its sites in the UK, including Delta Park, Mountpark, Hamble and Chandlers Ford, and in its US facilities in New York.

Meanwhile, in Puerto Rico, a combined heat and power system (CHP) that captures and reuses excess heat, and a company-controlled microgrid, serves the power needs of the manufacturing campus.

Eight of CooperVision’s facilities have a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification and BREEAM sustainable building certification.

2 Materials – and how they are sourced – matter

Clash explained: “The materials we use are vital to the quality and safety of our products. To help tackle plastic waste and support the industry’s shift to circularity, we are re-examining how we design, source, recover and offset plastics.”

“We believe we have a responsibility to find, or even pioneer, more efficient ways to produce and source materials, beginning with those we use the most. This mindset encouraged us to pursue sourcing ISCC PLUS certified plastics,” he said.

ISCC PLUS certified materials comply with six principles:

• Protection of land with high biodiversity value or high carbon stock
• Environmentally responsible production to protect soil, water, and air
• Safe working conditions
• Compliance with human, labour, and land rights
• Compliance with laws and international treaties
• Good management practices and continuous improvement.

“ISCC PLUS suppliers and materials align with our standards to improve how plastic is made, used, and disposed of, along with reducing its carbon footprint,” Clash said, adding: “By beginning to purchase ISCC PLUS certified plastic, CooperVision is committed to achieving a higher standard for how plastics are made.”

3 Partnership for offsetting

CooperVision partnered with the non-governmental organisation, Plastic Bank, to offset a portion of its plastic footprint.

Through the partnership, CooperVision funds the collection and recycling of ocean-bound plastic equivalent to the weight of plastic used across the range of CooperVision’s participating soft contact lenses, including blister pack and packaging components, across 27 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

To date, the partnership has prevented the equivalent of 347.6 million single-use plastic bottles from entering the world’s oceans.

Collected plastic is recycled and repurposed as Social Plastic feedstock, which is turned into new products and packaging.

Clash said: “The impact is more than the plastic that is offset – the plastic neutrality initiative benefits and improves the livelihoods of thousands of collection members in hundreds of communities.”

The Plastic Bank collection members exchange collected ocean-bound plastic for credits which can be used to purchase goods and services, including health, work, and life insurance, digital connectivity, grocery vouchers, and school supplies.

Plastic Bank has established a vision care programme to provide vision screenings and vouchers for complimentary eye examinations and glasses for eligible collection members.