CooperVision Expands Plastic Neutral Initiative to Cover All Contact Lenses Sold in Australia and New Zealand
Company Expands Commitment to Sustainability
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, May 1, 2023—To provide an easy way for eye care professionals and their patients to be more sustainable in their business and lifestyle—CooperVision announced today the expansion of their plastic neutrality initiative, with their full range1 of contact lenses distributed in Australia and New Zealand now plastic neutral.2 The initiative is made possible through a breakthrough global partnership with Plastic Bank, a social enterprise that builds ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities.
For every box of CooperVision contact lenses distributed in Australia and New Zealand, CooperVision purchases credits that fund the collection and recycling of ocean-bound plastic into the global supply chain, that is equal to the weight of the plastic used in its contact lenses, the blister and the outer carton packaging.
2 All CooperVision contact lens brands sold and distributed in Australia and New Zealand are included in the plastic neutral initiative, including MyDay®, Biofinity®, clariti® 1 day, MiSight® 1 day, Proclear®, and cAIR®. There is no enrolment process for eye care professionals or consumers; anyone who recommends or wears the lenses is participating.
Plastic Bank collectors in the coastal communities receive a premium for the materials they collect, which helps them provide basic family necessities such as groceries, cooking fuel, school fees, and health insurance.
“Like many companies, CooperVision is on a sustainability journey. Over the past several years, we have built a strong track record of sustainable manufacturing and operations, focused on areas in which we can make the greatest impact,” said Michelle North, General Manager ANZ at CooperVision. “Plastic plays a critical role in the hygienic delivery and sterile protection of our contact lenses, and the commitment to making all of our contact lenses in Australia and New Zealand plastic neutral1,2 provides the opportunity to make even more of a positive impact —for our oceans, and for everyone.”
Research shows that sustainability is a growing priority for consumers, and they care how plastic is managed. In a 2021 survey commissioned by CooperVision, 94% of contact lens wearers agreed that keeping plastic out of the oceans is important to them.3 And 99% of contact lens wearers agree that if their optometrist recommended a plastic neutral daily disposable contact lens, it would have a positive impact on trying that lens.3
Through the trailblazing partnership with Plastic Bank, the program has already made a significant environmental and social impact worldwide. In 2022, the program recovered the equivalent of over 100 million plastic bottles from reaching oceans and 345 coastal communities have directly benefited from exchanging ocean-bound plastic for necessities such as clean water, groceries, cooking oil, school tuition, and even health insurance.i
In 2023, CooperVision has committed to stopping more than 120 million plastic bottles4 from entering the ocean in collaboration with Plastic Bank and the online dashboard https://plasticneutral.coopervision.com/eng provides a live update of program's impact.
CooperVision’s plastic neutrality initiative, is one of many milestones in the organisation’s journey to ever-greater sustainability. The company envisions a world where plastics are responsibly used, recovered, and reborn in perpetuity – and is taking steps to get there.
For more information about CooperVision’s plastic neutral initiative, visit www.coopervision.net.au/plasticneutral
1 Range defined as all 1 day, 2-weekly and monthly replacement contact lens brands and segments: sphere, toric and multifocal sold and distributed by CooperVision in Australia and New Zealand.
2 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 waterways. CooperVision purchases credits equal to the weight of plastic in our 1 day, 2-weekly and monthly replacement contact lens orders in a specified time period. Contact lens plastic is determined by the weight of plastic in the blister, the lens and the secondary (outer carton) package, including laminates, adhesives, and auxiliary inputs (e.g. ink).
3 CooperVision data on file, 2021. Plastic Neutrality Survey 302 consumers aged 16-65 years, Decision Analyst October 2021 in Australia. 4 Plastic Bottles: The plastic bottle equivalent of KG extracted, 1KG is the equivalent of 50 single use plastic bottles.
i 128.9 million bottles prevented; 345 communities impacted. “CooperVision’s Impact,” verified March 3, 2023 (http://plastic-neutral.coopervision.com/eng).
About Plastic Bank
PlasticBank® empowers the regenerative society. We build ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities and reprocess the materials for reintroduction into the global supply chain as Social Plastic®. Our members receive a premium for the materials they collect which helps them provide basic family necessities such as groceries, cooking fuel, school tuition, and health insurance. Our proprietary blockchain platform secures the entire transaction and provides real-time data visualisation – allowing for transparency, traceability, and rapid scalability. Learn more at www.plasticbank.com
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (NYSE: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 ("Cooper") is a global medical device company publicly traded on the NYSE (NYSE:COO). Cooper operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision brings a refreshing perspective on vision care with a commitment to developing a wide range of high-quality products for contact lens wearers and providing focused practitioner support. CooperSurgical is committed to advancing the health of women, babies and families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on medical devices and fertility & genomics. Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., Cooper has a workforce of more than 12,000 with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
Media Contact
Shannon Morrow, Marketing Communications Manager, ANZ smorrow@au.coopervision.com or +61 0437 866 918