W10: Sustainability of contact lenses

What are the 3 pillars of sustainability?

• Environmental (planet)

  • Energy efficiency

  • Climate change strategy

  • Waste reduction

  • Biodiversity

  • Greenhouse gas emissions

  • Carbon footprint reduction

• Social (people)

  • Social license

  • Equal employment opportunity

  • Employee benefits

  • Health and safety

  • Community development

  • Responsible supply chain partnerships

  • Adhering to labor laws

• Economic (profit)

  • Corporate govemnance

  • Risk management

  • Compliance

  • Ethical business practices

  • Avoiding conflicts of interest

  • Accounting integrity and transparency

What is sustainability?

A company's strategy to reduce negative environmental impact resulting from their operations in a particular market.

Practices are typically analysed against environmental, social, and governance (economic) metrics

Why should companies publish sustainability goals and progress reports?

• Promotes transparency about contribution to a sustainable global economy

• Helps employees and external stakeholders understand business impact

• Maintains trust with stakeholders through regular progress reporting

What is the scale of contact lens use and environmental impact in the UK?

• ~800 million plastic contact lenses used by >4 million people annually

• 97% disposed of in bin or down drain; only 3% recycled

What do surveys show about contact lens disposal awareness and behaviour?

• Majority unaware lenses are non-biodegradable (73.9%)

• Most disposed in trash (59.7%), some flushed (23.4%)

• 93.3% not recycled; many not informed on correct disposal (54.7%)

What is the environmental impact of contact lens waste (USA data)?

Yeung & Davis 2019:

• 45 million wearers; 35–46% use daily disposables

• Annual daily disposable use ≈ 1 kg waste per patient

• Reusable lenses + solutions ≈ 0.87 kg/year (excluding shipping/carbon footprint)

How does contact lens-related plastic waste compare across products?

• Lens cases: equivalent to 4–8 years of DD’s

• Solution bottles: equivalent to >2.5 years of DD’s

• Contact lens products contribute ~0.5% of total environmental waste

What is the source of microplastics?

Contact lenses that are flushed in the toilet end up in the main water sources, they further break down into smaller particles and become microplastics

Where have microplastics been found?

• Microplastics undergo physical and chemical changes → become smaller

• Physical changes: UV exposure + mechanical damage → fragmentation

• Processes include aggregation, sinking, and sedimentation → particles accumulate in sand/river beds

• Further chemical degradation → even smaller particles

• Impact:

  • Release additives and monomers as they break down

  • Ingested by small organisms → enter food chain

  • Bioaccumulation → toxic hazard for animals and humans (via ingestion of contaminated organisms)

What are the consequences of microplastics for humans?

1

What are the consequences of microplastics for humans?

2

What sustainability measures has Alcon implemented in its operations?

• Reduced water consumption by 8% using recycled water (saving 14.1 million gallons/year)

• 2% reduction in energy usage

• 79% of operational waste recycled and 4,900 tons hazardous waste prevented

• 10% renewable electricity and 14% recycled water used

• 98% of solvents recycled offsite

How has Alcon reduced environmental impact through product design and partnerships?

• Packaging minimized and simplified to reduce material use and waste

• Partnership w/ Plastic Bank to remove ocean-bound plastic from vulnerable coastal communities for every tonne of plastic used in Alcon Precision 1 + Dailies Total 1 cl’s + packaging.

  • (1:1)

• Focus on reducing lifecycle environmental impact of products

What sustainability initiatives has Bausch + Lomb introduced for contact lens recycling?

• One by One Recycling Program (with TerraCycle)

• Separates plastic lenses and foil packaging

• Recycled 2.5 million lenses and diverted ~14,000 pounds of waste

How has Bausch + Lomb improved sustainability in packaging and production?

• Biodegradable shipping packaging and recyclable materials (e.g. PET for solutions)

• Use of renewable energy in production

• Focus on environmentally sustainable products

What energy management and waste reduction achievements has Bausch + Lomb reported at its major contact lens sites?

• Rochester (US) and Waterford (Ireland) sites are ISO 50001 registered for energy management and efficiency

• Drive towards zero landfill operations

• Rochester site certified to UL2799 with 94% diversion from landfill

• Waterford site achieves 97.92% against UL2799 criteria (not formally certified to US standard)

What sustainability and energy initiatives has CooperVision implemented in its operations?

• Costa Rica plant recycles up to 95% of solid waste

• 90% of electricity from renewable sources (solar, wind, geothermal, hydro)

• New York operations powered by 100% wind energy

• UK Mountpark site powered by 100% biomass

• Water recycling in cooling towers and rainwater used for facilities

How has CooperVision reduced material waste in manufacturing and packaging?

• Mould closure technology uses raw materials fully without waste

• Cardboard containers reused 5–10 times before recycling

• 99% of plastics repurposed (e.g. traffic cones, chairs)

What sustainability recognition has the Mountpark facility received?

• Received top rating from Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)

• BREEAM = world’s first sustainability assessment method for buildings

What sustainable innovations has Menicon introduced in its products?

• Miru 1Day flat packs (1 mm thick) → ~80% less packaging bulk and less saline

• “Foil on foil” design → fully recyclable (unlike standard blister packs)

How does Menicon promote sustainability in operations and environmental initiatives?

• Conserves water and electricity through improved manufacturing efficiency

• Forest restoration via planting seedlings

• Recycles coffee grounds (e.g. from Starbucks in Tokyo) into dairy cow feed

What recycling and packaging initiatives has Johnson & Johnson Vision Care implemented?

• Partnered with TerraCycle for contact lens recycling (UK)

• Reduced packaging by increasing lenses per box → saved 57 tons of paper

• Redesigned blister packs to reduce polypropylene and paper use

What energy and sustainability achievements has Johnson & Johnson Vision Care reported?

• 13% less energy used in shipping due to lighter packaging

• 12% reduction in manufacturing energy use (Acuvue Oasys with HydraLuxe)

• Member of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment

What recycling initiative has Johnson & Johnson Vision Care implemented to improve sustainability?

• Funding 3500 zero waste boxes (2022)

• Capacity to recycle ~5.6 million lenses, blister packs, and foils

• Distributed to practices to ensure nationwide access

• Aim to increase UK contact lens recycling by up to 25%

What is the practitioner’s role in improving contact lens sustainability?

• Educate patients

• Reinforce

• Sign up for a recycling bin

Vision direct:

Contact lens recycling in the UK

What is a potential consequence of environmental concerns in contact lens use?

Patients may opt for surgery that is more cost effective and produces less plastic waste