Alcon partners to prevent plastic pollution

Alcon aimed to remove 990,000kg of plastic from the environment in 2023 after it expanded its partnership with social enterprise Plastic Bank.  

In 2022, 649,000kg was collected and recycled by Plastic Bank that helped offset the plastic used by Alcon in some of its vision care products, such as Total1 and Precision1 dailies.  

Charles Herget, head of environmental, social and governance at Alcon, said: ‘While single-use plastics are essential to the safety and convenience of medical products, we strive to minimise their impact on the environment by supporting important initiatives like this programme with Plastic Bank.’ 

The programme has been extended to include Systane Eye Drops, which could prevent 150,856kg of plastic from reaching the ocean.  

The company said the equivalent of 32 million plastic bottles were removed last year and it could be as much as 49 million in 2023.  

Plastic Bank’s local collectors exchange the plastic gathered for benefits, such as health insurance, grocery vouchers and school supplies.