Going green: How CooperVision is transforming CL wear

The last century has seen many milestones in the evolution of the contact lens. From the transition from glass to plastic lenses to the invention of the corneal lens in 1948, through to the introduction of soft hydrogel lenses in 1971, the evolution of the contact lens into its modern design has allowed for greater comfort and safety. Currently, 76% of all soft contact lenses fitted use silicone hydrogel materials, with 48% of patients being prescribed daily disposables, although there is wide variation by country.  

The introduction of daily disposable contact lenses in 1995 was a pivotal milestone, offering wearers greater convenience.¹ Wearers could discard their lenses after one day of wear rather than cleaning and storing lenses. There has been a steady increase in daily disposable fitting rates in many markets,³ and by 2021, daily disposables had a global market revenue share of 57% in an industry valued at $10bn. The continued growth of the contact lens market, especially daily disposables,⁵ is contributing to their environmental impact. This is largely due to the increasing volume of lenses and related packaging being discarded every day.⁶ 

High-grade plastic polymers are essential in the manufacture of contact lenses and their packaging, but their disposability may be seen by the public as an environmental concern.⁶ This reflects the gradual, yet seismic shift in the purchasing behaviour of modern consumers as the issues of climate change, pollution and environmental degradation become more prominent.^{7, 8} This shift means that all elements related to contact lens manufacture, use and end-of-life planning must continue to evolve. 

Adaptations in the manufacture, packaging and delivery of daily disposable lenses can make a significant contribution to their environmental impact. In this regard, CooperVision is at the forefront, rising to meet the demand for sustainable contact lens wear.

Over the past decade, it has made significant changes to the manufacture, packaging, and delivery of its contact lenses. In 2022, its daily disposable contact lens brands in sphere, toric and multifocal for clariti 1 day and MyDay, became net plastic neutral in many markets globally, thanks to its partnership with Plastic Bank.^9**¥ 

A closer look at the demand for sustainable choices 

Interest in the impact of consumer goods, including medical devices, and how to make sustainable choices is growing among the public and eye care professionals (ECPs) alike. Some relevant data points are outlined in figure 1, where a recent survey higlighted the top five environmental concerns, To counter this, many consumers are changing their behaviours and purchasing habits, with sustainability a key consideration.  

Figure 1: The top five environmental concerns⁸

The Global Sustainability survey in 2021 found that sustainability was rated as an important purchase criterion for 60% of consumers,¹⁰ while another survey in the UK found that 87% of consumers want brands to act now to encourage future sustainability.¹¹ This trend is even more prominent in Gen Z and Millennials who are the most likely groups to make purchase decisions based on values and principles (personal, social, and environmental) rather than price point alone.¹² With this demographic set to shape the marketplace over the next half century, now is the time for sustainability to be instilled into business practice.  

Governments are also prioritising the sustainable use of plastic, setting ambitious targets for the marketplace. By 2030, the EU is aiming for cost effective reuse or recycling of new plastic packaging,¹³ while the UN aims to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by 45% by 2030, on the road to net zero by 2050.¹⁴ 

What do contact lens wearers, in particular, have to say about sustainability? A 2021 survey of contact lens wearers found that 82% agreed that collecting waste for responsible recycling is important to them, with 86% of wearers also agreeing that keeping plastic out of the oceans is important to them.¹⁵ Both concerns form a part of CooperVision’s sustainability plan.  

Daily disposables can be a sustainable choice   

Contact lenses, like many other plastic medical devices, have come under the spotlight for their potential environmental impact.⁶ The end user experiences the need for packaging and product recycling or disposal, with considerations given to the contact lens carton, blister pack, solution bottle and case for monthly lenses, and the lens itself. Many of these elements can be recycled locally and when calculated, the percentage contribution to household waste is very small, representing just 0.20 to 0.26% of the 412kg of household waste generated per person per year in the United Kingdom.⁶ Furthermore, annual waste from full-time daily disposable contact lens wear generates just 130g¹⁶ to 230g⁶ more per year than that generated by reusable monthly replacement daily wear with its additional use of materials for the lens case and care solution packaging. 

While manufacturers have ensured contact lenses and their packaging are, in many cases, 100% recyclable, the municipal facilities to process these materials often do not exist, or consumers are unsure of how to recycle the products.⁶ In response to this, specialist recycling schemes for daily disposable contact lenses and their packaging are emerging in some markets, usually via optometry practices.⁶ ECPs also have a crucial role to play in engaging their patients on how they can help reduce the environmental impact of their contact lens wear.⁶ For example, contact lenses should not be discarded by flushing them down the toilet. 

CooperVision’s partnership with PlasticBank  

Industry innovation is also playing an important part in increasing sustainability. One of the first practical steps being taken involves offsetting the plastic in contact lenses and their packaging through targeted removal of plastic from the environment, specifically, the oceans. CooperVision is greatly reducing the environmental impact of its plastic use via its industry-leading partnership with Plastic Bank.^**¥ It began with clariti 1 day and has expanded to nearly all of CooperVision’s leading brands and is now available in 27 countries where those products are sold.^{9, 17} As a result, these brands are now net plastic neutral.⁹

The principle behind plastic neutrality was summed up neatly by Aldo Zucaro, Senior Director of Corporate Responsibility & Commercial Strategies at Cooper Companies, “It enables a participating brand to offset its defined plastic footprint by ensuring an equal amount of other ocean-bound plastics are reclaimed and recycled.”  

The mechanics of the Plastic Bank partnership are simple. For the brands involved, CooperVision purchases credits equal to the weight of the plastic used in the contact lens itself, blister packs, and outer packaging adhesives and inks. The equivalent amount of ocean-bound plastic is then collected. This creates a net plastic-neutral effect.** Collected plastic waste is also introduced back into the supply chain, giving it a second life. Plastic Bank offers the collection community members bonus payments in exchange for the collected plastic (figure 2, right).

In this way, an individual who wears a CooperVision plastic neutral participating brand contact lens can know that they are offsetting the contact lens portion of their plastic footprint. Additionally, they are helping the people in developing local communities through this scheme which helps them become more self-sufficient and support the development of local services, such as schools, that may otherwise be lacking.¹⁷  The results of the partnership are very encouraging (figure 3).¹⁸ 

Figure 3: Results of the Plastic Bank and CooperVision partnership, as of January 2023^18**†‡

Ocean-bound plastic harvesting and recycling ecosystems are just part of the sustainability solution, which needs to be approached holistically. Since its foundation, Plastic Bank has improved over 110,000 lives which can be attributed to the 40% average increase in a collector’s income.¹⁷ “Sustainability is a balanced effort between a number of factors: every step must be economically viable, environmentally viable, and socially viable, says Zucaro. “Tackling just one of these areas in isolation does not provide long-term solutions.”  

Sustainability is multifaceted  

CooperVision continually works towards five strategies of sustainable practices. These are: source, design, recover, offset and people. Source refers to the mindful use of resources, making sustainable and efficient choices about the materials we use. Design encompasses reducing waste, and practices about how we make and remake materials. Recover involves both recovering out waste from manufacturing and also post-use of our products. Offset is exemplerised by our plastic neutrality initiative, allowing us to make an impact today while we work on additional solutions. Finally, ‘people’ aims to foster the right connections between sustainability and diversity, equity, inclusion and justice.  

Those strategies have evolved out of early pracitical steps we have already taken to make a positive impact. Those four founding pillars are:  

• Saving water
• Conserving energy
• Reducing, reusing and recycling
• Empowering people

Saving water 

The environmental benefits of conserving water are extensive. They include preserving aquatic ecosystems, protecting freshwater resources, preventing water shortages, and conserving the energy required to pump, heat, and treat fresh water. 

CooperVision looks to make the environmental benefits of saving water a reality. Reducing overall usage, increasing reuse and recycling efforts, and making better use of collected rainwater at its sites, thereby conserving millions of litres of water each year. For instance, thanks to the use of cooling towers and the re-purposing of rainwater at its Puerto Rico manufacturing facility, CooperVision has reduced its demand for city-supplied water, and kept a significant amount of waste-water out of publicly operated treatment works every month.¹⁹ 

CooperVision’s efforts in conserving water at its sites have garnered several environmental awards. Most recently, those efforts have been recognized with the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Water Authority’s (PRASA) Pre-Treatment Excellence Compliance Award.¹⁹ 

Conserving energy  

The environmental impact of energy consumption is multifarious, as both production and consumption lead to air, water, and thermal pollution, which all contribute to climate change. 

CooperVision continually seeks to minimize its energy consumption and use clean energy resources wherever possible. CooperVision’s manufacturing facilities in Southampton UK, Costa Rica and Rochester, New York use renewable electricity from hydroelectric, wind, solar, biomass and geothermal sources.^{19, 20} As part of its ongoing commitment to clean energy, all of its US operations based in Rochester, New York, have been converted to use wind-based renewable energy and its facility in Southampton, UK is powered by using renewable electricity from biomass.¹⁹ Its sites also endeavour to use lighting as efficiently as possible, utilizing natural light to illuminate common areas and transitioning to high-efficiency lighting systems across many of its facilities.¹⁹ 

Recyling, repurposing and reusing   

CooperVision is continually evolving processes to use less and recycle more of the materials needed to manufacture and distribute its products. Highlights of this program are shown in the figure below (figure 4). 

Figure 4: Recycle, repurpose and reuse^{21, 22}  

Empowering our people to make sustainable choices 

CooperVision encourages sustainable transport habits in its employees, which gives them the opportunity to make environmentally conscious choices. At its bases in Costa Rica and Hungary, it established a mass transportation scheme for its employees via buses and minibuses.¹⁹ 

CooperVision eyes a regenerative future  

CooperVision’s goal is to change the current linear ‘take, make and dispose’ approach to producing and consuming plastic. Shifting to an approach where materials are used, and their value maintained, for as long as possible in a circular economy will benefit the environment and create a more sustainable business. 

‘The aim is to engineer value into the system. From responsible manufacturing, plastic neutral focus, through to ultimately the instigation of a full life cycle for the contact lens, with a defined pathway to give it a second life. Our ultimate goal in our sustainability journey is to become regenerative.’^* – Zucaro 

CooperVision is working towards several long-term goals  including using sustainable materials for its contact lens packaging including blister packs and cartons, along with cutting unnecessary plastic out of the supply chain by reducing the weight of plastics used. The company’s holistic and innovative approach means wearers who choose CooperVision products can feel confident that they are making a sustainable choice now and in the future. 

Good for the planet, good for business  

The fact remains that the use of plastic is fundamental in a medical device such as a contact lens, which delivers essential refractive error correction to millions of wearers worldwide. Going green is a long-term and multifaceted challenge for the contact lens industry, but what’s good for the environment is also good for business. A study by the Center for Sustainable Business between 2013-18 showed consumer packaged goods that were marketed as sustainable experienced 5.6 times faster growth than conventionally marketed brands.²³ 

In practice today 

ECPs are well-placed to help answer patients’ questions about their contact lenses. They can help educate them about sustainable practices in the contact lens industry along with supporting them with making choices which can help the overall movement toward a green, sustainable future (figure 5, right). 

On a daily basis, ECPs can also advise about best practices for managing the end products of their current contact lenses once used. This could include providing advice on local recycling schemes for the contact lens carton/box, the plastic blister, and foil top, along with the options for recycling any lens care bottles, cases and collection of the contact lenses themselves. 

The demand for sustainable choices presents ECPs with the chance to help effect positive change. By educating patients on the environmental impact of contact lenses and encouraging them to seek out sustainable brands, ECPs can help nudge the wider industry into going green, along with helping their patients meet their own expectations around making environmentally sound choices.  

• Karen Walsh, director of global professional affairs 1 Day & FRP and Paul Riggs, science and sustainability director are both employees of CooperVision  

Footnotes 

** Net plastic neutrality is established by purchasing credits from Plastic Bank. A credit represents the collection and conversion of one kilogram of plastic that may reach or be destined for waterway. CooperVision purchases credits equal to the weight of plastic in participating brand orders in a specified time period. Plastic in participating brand orders 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).  

¥ clariti 1 day, MyDay daily disposable, Biofinity and MiSight 1 day orders includes products sold and distributed by CooperVision in participating countries. 

† Plastic Bank uses 1kg of plastic to equal 50 bottles.   

‡ Participating brand orders is defined as orders and includes monthly, 2-weekly and 1-Day contact lens products sold and distributed by CooperVision. 

References 

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