Sustainability collaboration

CooperVision

As part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability, CooperVision employees, customers, friends and family recently took part in a company-organised litter pick to clear their local area of rubbish. The event supported Global Recycling Day on 18 March and took place in Warsash, Hampshire, and saw some 50 volunteers collect 44kg of waste. Similar initiatives took place in a number of locations across the UK and Ireland.

CooperVision one-day contact lenses distributed in the UK and Ireland are now plastic neutral thanks to its global partnership with Plastic Bank, whereby CooperVision purchases credits that fund the collection, processing and reuse of ocean-bound plastic waste equal to the weight of the plastic used in its one-day contact lenses, the blister and the outer carton packaging. “Our litter pick initiative is a chance for colleagues, customers,

Doing their bit locally

friends and family to have a positive impact on their local environment,” said Doug Bairner, country manager UK & Ireland at CooperVision.

Jai Kudo

Jai Kudo Lenses, part of the Millmead Optical Group, has announced a new collaboration with optical sustainability designer, Yair Neuman, to highlight the problem of lens waste. James Conway, Millmead CEO, said: “We strongly believe that by speaking frankly about the extent of the problem we can mobilise not just ourselves, but also our competitors and even those from outside the industry to help bring new ideas and approaches that will solve these issues more quickly. More than 3,000 tonnes of lens waste ends up in landfill each year in the UK alone. We can either shy away from that and face

Eco eyewear designer, Yair Newman

the disastrous consequences of inactivity, or we can sit up and start to own the problem, by dedicating significant resources into searching for a solution that aims to eliminate lens waste entirely.”

Millmead commissioned Yair at the start of the year to design and build a sculpture made out of its factory’s own lens swarf and the discarded demo lenses from the frames it supplies to practices. “We believe that the creation of such an installation will raise the profile of this issue and will help focus minds on the problem in a truly creative, engaging and meaningful manner, whilst celebrating the power of artistic story-telling,” said James. “Our new strategy for Jai Kudo Lenses is called ‘See the Light’ and our collaboration with Yair is the clearest indication of exactly what that strategy sets out to achieve.”

Visit the Millmead team and Yair Neuman at 100% Optical.

IOT Lenses

IOT Lenses has signed a new agreement to support the International Opticians Association (IOA). Carolina Gago, IOT general manager, said: “At IOT, we are immensely proud to have established a collaboration with the IOA to contribute to the professional development of all those who love our profession with passion and want to execute it with excellence.

“When I started my studies, I was fascinated by two fundamental aspects. One is the technical and clinical mixture that occurs in our profession. The other was the personal purpose I found in it – improving people’s quality of life by improving their vision. The complexity of our profession and the tremendous impact it has naturally leads us to create an interconnected community of opticians, where all professionals can support each other.”

Optical bodies

The UK’s optical bodies have jointly stated their top sustainability priorities for the optical sector, which are: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; to reduce waste; and develop sustainable ways of practice. They have pledged to join together to help inform, educate and support their members, and review their own activities, “in order to stimulate rigorous and immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the optical sector in line with the current UK commitment of 78 per cent by 2035 (compared to 1990).

“We will also develop targets to reduce waste, develop sustainable ways of practice, and deliver a healthier, fairer zero carbon world,” the statement concluded. Optical Suppliers Association chairman, Dr Andy Hepworth, said: “It’s simply wonderful we can support such a crucial area, as

Sustainability statement of intent

unquestionably there is strength in the engagement from across the whole optical sector.” Read further comments on DO Online at www.abdo.org.uk