PRODUCT PROFILE
Miru 1day Flat Pack eco-friendly packaging
Beyond 70 years of innovation As Menicon celebrates 70 years in business, Neil Retallic discusses the company’s environmental ethos and exciting new innovations This year Menicon is celebrating its 70th anniversary of helping people to see life in detail. There is an ethos that runs through the company’s DNA of ‘Do not imitate others’, which has led to out-of-the-box thinking. This approach drives our pioneering innovation and technology, with principles in place to respect the environmental impact. From the products we design to our business operations, we aim to reduce our impact on the environment to protect society and the planet. That is why we have signed up to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Goals for 2030. We have placed sustainability at the heart of our business activities, spanning material development, lens design and the manufacture of contact lenses and care solutions. A great example of this is the cutting-edge design of the eco-friendly packaging of the Miru 1day Flat Pack (Figure 1) – technologically advanced and incredibly easy to use for consumers. The environmental credentials of the unique lens packaging of the Miru 1day Flat Pack are leading the way in reducing waste in the following ways: The primary packaging uses significantly less raw material and is recyclable The Miru 1day Flat Pack blister results in 80 per cent less waste compared
20 Vision Now November 2021
to conventional packaging The package is produced by reusing 99 per cent of the plastics used in the contact lens manufacturing process T he storage case is made from the moulds that produce the lenses inside the pack, demonstrating excellence in the circular use of raw materials. The packaging weight for a 12-month supply of Miru 1day Flat Pack (730 packs) results in only 20 per cent waste compared to conventional packaging At our contact lens manufacturing plants, we have also taken steps to minimise our consumption of resources such as water, gas and energy. A good example of this
is at the Emmen Plant in the Netherlands where 550 solar panels were installed which provide approximately 150 MWh of electricity annually – accounting for 15 per cent of the energy required. Irrespective of the seasons, we aim to make our processes as energy efficient as possible using a heat pump to store cool air in a well in the ground with the stored air used to cool the building in the summer. Reducing the volume of water used in our production processes has also been a priority and at our Kakamigahara plant, we have managed to save 50 per cent of the water previously used. We are making good progress and our innovative and pioneering spirit will continue to drive our efforts in meeting sustainability goals and, of course, delivering high quality contact lens products that wearers can trust.
LIFE-CHANGING POSSIBILITIES FOR ALL Contact lenses have evolved at such a pace since I qualified as an optometrist 15 years ago. New technologies and innovations have led to such a wide range of contact lenses available to patients, making them a viable option as a complement to spectacles. Our benefits to the wearer can be lifechanging (Figure 2). Contact lens wear can be life-changing
