Optical retailers can now have their own contribution to marine protection determined
The global contact lens manufacturer CooperVision is further expanding its measures for a more sustainable future and has developed a new tool for this purpose: A calculation tool now enables individual specialist retailers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to see at a glance what contribution they are making to a positive environmental impact by fitting plastic-neutral disposable contact lenses from CooperVision.
The company's "Customer Impact Calculator" illustrates the amount of plastic collected and offset by plastic-neutral contact lens sales. The tool calculates the exact amount of plastic that was collected in the form of plastic waste to offset the disposable contact lenses sold in the store. This makes the direct link between your own actions and the amount of plastic collected clearer.
For every sale of plastic-neutral CooperVision disposable contact lenses by an optician, the company acquires credits equivalent to the weight of plastic used for the contact lenses themselves, the blister and the outer packaging. In return, Plastic Bank collects a corresponding amount of plastic waste in the coastal regions of countries without a functioning circular economy. The collected plastic is then processed and recycled, while the collectors in the coastal communities are rewarded for their work in the form of vouchers. These can be used for everyday necessities such as food and fuel, but also to pay for school fees and healthcare services.
The impact is already far-reaching and the project continues to grow with each individual contribution. Since its launch in 2021, the CooperVision Plastic Neutrality Initiative has collected the equivalent of more than 134 million plastic bottles. This has prevented plastic from entering the oceans and further polluting them. At the same time, the social impact is significant: so far, 171 coastal communities have directly benefited from the opportunity to exchange collected plastic for everyday goods and services.
"We are delighted with the great support we have received from opticians and contact lens wearers alike and we are proud of the successes we have already achieved with our joint initiative. Recommending and wearing plastic neutral disposable contact lenses is a simple act that makes a big difference to both our oceans and the local communities that are empowered by the initiative," says Heathcliffe Clash, Head of Communications at CooperVision EMEA.
Opticians who would like to find out to what extent their own business has already been able to contribute to environmental protection and what positive effects have been achieved so far can get in touch with their responsible contact person at CooperVision. A complete overview of the effects of the global CooperVision plastic neutrality initiative to date can be found at: https://plastic-neutral.coopervision.com/de
