Meet CooperVision, a world leader in eye care that shares your passion for sustainability. Well established in over 130 countries, they’re committed to helping people see better every day. Their state-of-the-art scientific and technological innovations provide high-quality contact lenses for people around the world, meeting a remarkably wide range of wearer needs while staying focused on sustainability and minimizing their environmental impact.
The company envisions a world where plastics are responsibly used, recovered, and reborn in perpetuity, and Canadians agree. 91% of Canadian contact lens wearers believe keeping plastic out of the environment is important1, and 88% of them also think manufacturers need to embrace sustainable manufacturing techniques2. Well, CooperVision is taking steps to get there with their new plastic neutral3 initiative for their clariti® 1 day4 & MyDay®4 contact lenses.
But what does “plastic neutral” even mean?
Plastic neutrality is a way to offset your carbon footprint by recovering the same amount of plastic waste that a certain product creates5. In the case of CooperVision’s clariti® 1 day & MyDay® contact lenses, the company purchases credits from the Plastic Bank® for each clariti® 1 day & MyDay® lens sold. The goal: to collect and convert an equal amount of plastic than used through their global network.
To achieve this, they teamed up with Plastic Bank®, a social enterprise that builds ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities and reprocesses the materials to reintroduce them in the global supply chain. But that’s not all: Plastic Bank® helps the world stop ocean plastic while also improving the lives of communities around the world. Collectors receive a premium for the materials they collect to stimulate their environment. All of this contributes to Plastic Bank’s mission to empower a regenerative society.
Through their partnership, Plastic Bank® and CooperVision strive for a cleaner and greener planet, and so far, so good. One year after its official launch, the program’s made a significant environmental and social impact worldwide. For each box of clariti® 1 day sold in the past year and distributed through their partnership with Plastic Bank®, the equivalent of 28 million plastic bottles6 was diverted from oceans. A great win for the planet!
We sat down with CooperVision to discuss this cutting-edge and progressive program and learn more about their clariti® 1 day & MyDay® contact lenses and their positive impact on the environment.
What can the average consumer impact look like if they switch to MyDay® contact lenses?
It depends. For clariti® 1 day, an annual supply is the equivalent* of removing 36 bottles7 from the environment. For MyDay®, it balances to 40 bottles7.
What’s next for CooperVision? Are there other sustainable initiatives on the horizon?
We plan on sticking to this initiative while expanding it in the coming years. With this larger scale, the program is expected to prevent the equivalent of nearly 200 million plastic bottles from reaching oceans in 2022 – more than three times the amount collected in 20218. We’re excited to have such a positive impact on the environment!
If sustainability is at the core of your values, you can help by choosing CooperVision and switching to MyDay® or clariti® 1 day disposable contact lenses. Together, we can do one day better.
Book a contact lens fitting appointment now by calling your local store or shop our current contact lens promotions now!
1.REFERENCE; CVI data on file 2021. Decision Analyst online survey with 1-day soft CL wearers in Canada, n=300. Top 2 on 5 point scale. Pre Concept Review.
2.REFERENCE; CVI data on file 2021. Decision Analyst online survey with 1-day soft CL wearers in Canada, n=300. Top 2 on 5 point scale. Pre Concept Review.
3. 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 waterways globally. CooperVision purchases credits equal to the weight of plastic in [clariti® 1 day/ MyDay® ] orders in a specified time period. [ clariti® 1 day / MyDay® ] plastic 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). REFERENCE: CVI data on file 2022. Sustainability report, clariti® 1 day/MyDay®. FOOTNOTE: Based on top 4 global contact lens manufacturers.
4. clariti® 1 day/MyDay®daily disposable is defined as orders and includes clariti® 1 day sphere, clariti® 1 day toric, and clariti® 1 day multifocal/MyDay® daily disposable, MyDay® daily disposable toric, MyDay® daily disposable multifocal product sold & distributed by CooperVision in Canada.
5. REFERNCE; https://natalist.com/blogs/learn/what-does-it-mean-to-be-plastic-neutral
6. 27,551,500 bottles prevented; 551,030 kg extracted; 171 communities impacted; 1,421 people impacted. “CooperVision’s Impact,” verified January 10, 2022.
7. 1 annual supply is the equivalent of removing the following number of plastic bottles from the environment: clariti®1 day: 36 bottles. MyDay®: 40 bottles. Annual supply = (8) 90-packs, (4) 180-packs or (24) 30-packs. ”Plastic bottle” is defined as a 0.5 liter PET clear bottle in raw condition, with labels & caps with average weight of 20 grams of plastic.
8. Plastic Bank uses 1 kg of plastic to equal 50 bottles.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 plastic 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).Participating brand orders is defined as orders and includes sphere, 1 day toric, and multifocal product sold & distributed by CooperVision. [REFERENCE: CVI data on file, 2022 for a complete list of participating brands by country. Anticipated total bottles as derived through Plastic Bank's impact dashboard during 2022 calendar year.]
