For at gøre en endnu større forskel for mennesker og planeten har CooperVision og Plastic Bank fornyet deres partnerskab om plastneutralitet frem til 2026. Med denne forlængelse er partnerskabet udvidet til at omfatte et synsplejeprogram med fokus på at levere synsscreeninger og gavekort til gratis øjenundersøgelser og briller til kvalificerede indsamlere tilknyttet Plastic Bank i Indonesien, som er afgørende for CooperVisions plastneutrale partnerskab med Plastic Bank.1
I samarbejde med Plastic Bank finansierer vi indsamling og genbrug af plastik, som ville være endt i havene, svarende til vægten af den plastik, der anvendes til en række af vores relevante bløde kontaktlinser, herunder linser, blisterpakninger og emballagekomponenter, der sælges og distribueres i 27 lande i Nord- og Sydamerika, Europa samt Asien og Stillehavsområdet.*2 Til dato har indsatsen forhindret, hvad der svarer til mere end 305 millioner plastikflasker i at blive ledt ud i verdenshavene. I kraft af forlængelsen forventer†2 CooperVision, at den samlede effekt af initiativet om at blive plastikneutral i samarbejde med Plastic Bank er mere end fordoblet inden udgangen af 2026.‡§3
“De første tre år af vores partnerskab med Plastic Bank har haft en betydelig effekt, ikke kun i form af renere kystsamfund via genbrug af plastaffald, men også ved at forbedre levevilkårene og den økonomiske stabilitet for indsamlerne,” siger Aldo Zucaro, Senior Director of Corporate Responsibility hos CooperCompanies.24 “Som en global leder inden for kontaktlinser er CooperVision forpligtet til at hjælpe med at forbedre folks syn hver dag, fordi det forbedrer livskvaliteten. Vores samarbejde med Plastic Bank giver os nu mulighed for at levere synskorrektion til kvalificerede indsamlere, der gør en forskel ved at fjerne plastik fra miljøet og havene, hvilket virkelig er indbegrebet af vores passion for at støtte mennesker og planeten.”
Ved udgangen af 2026 vil hundredvis af indsamlere i Indonesien være berettiget til at modtage synsscreeninger gennem det nye synsplejeprogram.1
“Hos Plastic Bank forestiller vi os en verden uden affald og er forpligtet til at styrke lokalsamfund og lokale iværksættere for at udrydde fattigdom”, siger David Katz, grundlægger af Plastic Bank. “Indsamlere har begrænset adgang til grundlæggende øjenpleje, og for mange vil det være første gang, de har modtaget synsscreeninger og nødvendig synskorrektion. Vi ved, at nedsat syn kan påvirke livskvalitet, uafhængighed og mobilitet. Samarbejdet med CooperVision bringer ikke kun betydelige sociale fordele til vores lokalsamfund, men det realiserer også vores vision om at udrydde fattigdom.”
CooperVision arbejder løbende på at minimere miljøpåvirkningen og drive en mere bæredygtig forretning over hele verden som en del af en bredere indsats på tværs af CooperCompanies for at bidrage til FN’s mål for bæredygtig udvikling (SDG’er). Gennem initiativet om plastikneutralitet har CooperVision og Plastic Bank en fælles forpligtelse til at beskytte planeten, specifikt ved at fremme livet under vandoverfladen (SDG 14 og 17) og ansvarligt forbrug og produktion (SDG 12).5 Forskning har vist, at forbedret øjensundhed reducerer fattigdom, forbedrer produktiviteten og fremmer generel sundhed og velvære samt uddannelsesmæssige resultater (SDG 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10 og 11).6
Det udvidede partnerskab falder sammen med relanceringen af CooperVisions bæredygtighedsplatform med fokus på at reducere vores CO2-aftryk, fjerne affald fra vores processer og ændre vores forhold til plastik, herunder overveje måder at gøre plastik bedre på. Kernen i vores bæredygtighedsplatform er forpligtelsen til at designe med intention og inkludere innovation som et værktøj til at udvise omsorg for mennesker og planeten. Vores bæredygtighedsforpligtelser omfatter:
- Vi designer – og redesigner løbende – for at reducere vores CO2-aftryk│¶** 7
- Vi samarbejder og innoverer og bruger vores opfindsomhed til at udvise omsorg for vores planet og hinanden
- Vi tager skridt til at bevare begrænsede naturressourcer│†† 7 og udforsker måder, hvorpå vi kan bringe vedvarende energi ind i vores produktionsprocesser‡‡§§ 7
- Ved at begynde at kompensere for affald i vores produkter og emballage, der endnu ikke kan genvindes, gør vi fremskridt, der forbedrer planetens trivsel7 og
- Vi samarbejder med partnere om at indsamle vores produktionsaffald, genvinde ressourcer og give dem nyt liv, når det er muligt.||
“Ved blot at ordinere og bruge CooperVision-plastneutrale kontaktlinser hjælper optikere og brugere os med vores engagement i bæredygtighed – fra vores partnerskab med Plastic Bank, der fokuserer på at forbedre lokalsamfund gennem affaldsgenvinding, til at genvinde og genbruge vores eget produktionsaffald, til at indkøbe ansvarligt,” siger Zucaro.
Få mere at vide om CooperVisions bæredygtighedsplatform på CooperVision og bæredygtighed.
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* Plastic used in participating CooperVision soft contact lens products is determined by the weight of plastic in the blister, the lens, and the secondary package, including laminates, adhesives, and auxiliary inputs (e.g. ink). The determination does not include plastic used during the manufacturing process for both these products and their packaging.
† CooperVision, through its collaboration with Plastic Bank, has enabled the collection and conversion of approximately 5.3M kg of plastic destined for waterways as of January 2024. Using Plastic Bank’s metric of 1kg of plastic equaling 50 standard 202mm bottles, that will be the equivalent of approximately 263.7M plastic bottles not reaching our oceans.
‡ Plastic Bank uses 1 kg of plastic equal to 50 bottles.
§ Though its collaboration with Plastic Bank, CooperVision plans to have supported the collection and conversion of approximately 10.8M kg of plastic destined for waterways by the end of calendar 2026. Using Plastic Bank’s metric of 1 kg of plastic equaling 50 standard 202mm bottles, that will be the equivalent of approximately 541M plastic bottles from reaching our oceans.
| Refers to continuous manufacturing process undertaken by CooperVision to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions.
¶ Carbon footprint is limited to Scope 1 and 2 emissions, defined as: Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy.
** CooperVision’s 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report.
†† Natural resources are defined as, but not limited to, water, nitrogen, natural gas, and other organic compounds.
‡‡ Renewables are defined as materials or energies that can be sustained indefinitely because of inexhaustible supplies or new growth.
§§ CooperVision utilizes renewable materials and energies in its manufacturing operations.
|| CooperVision’s 2020 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report.
Plastic Bank data on file, 2024.
CVI data on file, 2024.
CVI data on file, 2024-2026 Plastic Bank Agreement.
Plastic Bank. Programs Championing Sustainability in Business. https://plasticbank.com/impact-programs/. Accessed January 25, 2024.
Plastic Bank. Plastic Bank 2022 Sustainability Report. https://plasticbank.com/plastic-bank-2022-sustainability-report/. Accessed January 25, 2024.
Zhang J, Ramke J, et al. Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals through improving eye health: a scoping review. The Lancet Planetary Health. March 2022, 6(3):E270-280.
CVI data on file, 2023.
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About CooperVision
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (Nasdaq:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of contact lenses. The company produces a full array of daily disposable, two-week and monthly soft contact lenses that feature advanced materials and optics, and premium rigid gas permeable lenses for orthokeratology and scleral designs. CooperVision has a strong heritage of addressing the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism, presbyopia, childhood myopia, and highly irregular corneas; and offers the most complete portfolio of spherical, toric and multifocal products available. Through a combination of innovative products and focused practitioner support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and wearers. For more information, visit www.coopervision.com.
About CooperCompanies
CooperCompanies (Nasdaq: COO) is a leading global medical device company focused on improving lives one person at a time. The Company operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision is a trusted leader in the contact lens industry, improving the vision of millions of people every day. CooperSurgical is a leading fertility and women’s health company dedicated to assisting women, babies and families at the healthcare moments that matter most. Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., CooperCompanies has a workforce of more than 15,000 with products sold in over 130 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
About Plastic Bank
Plastic Bank envisions a wasteless world and empowers a Social Recycling movement to stop ocean plastic and help alleviate poverty. Our ethical collection communities exchange plastic waste as currency for income and life-improving benefits. Exchanges are recorded through our proprietary blockchain-secured platform that enables traceable collection, secure income, and verifies reporting. Collected material is processed into Social Plastic® feedstock for reuse in products and packaging.
Plastic Bank and Social Plastic® are trademarks of the Plastic Bank Recycling Corporation.
About the UN Sustainable Development Goals
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and planet. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries in a global partnership. For more information about the UN SDGs, visit https://sdgs.un.org/goals.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements relating to plans, prospects, goals, strategies, future actions, events or performance and other statements of which are other than statements of historical fact are forward looking. To identify these statements, look for words like "believes," "outlook," "probable," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seeks," "intends," "plans," "estimates" or "anticipates" and similar words or phrases. Forward-looking statements necessarily depend on assumptions, data or methods that may be incorrect or imprecise and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause our actual results and future actions to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements are: adverse changes in the global or regional general business, political and economic conditions, man-made or natural disasters and pandemic conditions and the potential adverse economic impact and related uncertainty caused by these items; a major disruption in the operations of our manufacturing, accounting and financial reporting, research and development or distribution facilities due to technological problems; new U.S. and foreign government laws and regulations, and changes in existing laws, regulations and enforcement guidance, which affect areas of our operations; risks related to environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues, including those related to climate change and sustainability; and other events described in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the “Business”, “Risk Factors” and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023, as such Risk Factors may be updated in annual and quarterly filings. We caution individuals that forward-looking statements reflect our analysis only on their stated date. We disclaim any intent to update them except as required by law.
Media Contact
Lisa Valinder Olsson
lvalinderolsson@coopervision.se
+46 705520200