Innovative Sustainability Partnership Celebrates Far-Reaching Impacts on People + Planet
ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 17, 2025—CooperVision today announced a significant milestone in its pioneering plastic neutrality initiative.1 The multi-continent program—in collaboration with Plastic Bank®, eye care professionals, and contact lens wearers—has now prevented the equivalent of more than half a billion plastic bottles from entering the world’s oceans.*2
“Ahead of Earth Day, we are thrilled to celebrate this incredible accomplishment. Practitioners and wearers who choose CooperVision plastic neutral contact lenses have been central to creating such an enormous impact, and we are proud to have partnered with them and Plastic Bank in helping people + planet,” said Aldo Zucaro, Senior Director, Corporate Responsibility, CooperCompanies. “Every bottle collected prevents plastic waste from polluting our oceans and land, help to protect ecosystems and wildlife. Half a billion bottles is an amazing milestone—if you put them end-to-end, you could circle the earth two and a half times.”
In partnership with Plastic Bank, CooperVision funds the collection and recycling of ocean-bound plastic equivalent to the weight of plastic used across a range of its participating soft contact lenses, including the lens, blister and packaging components, that are sold and distributed across 34 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.†3
“While the achievement should be celebrated, it is not our end goal—we are always seeking ways to do more,” continued Zucaro. “This journey is ongoing, and we are excited for what’s ahead. Together, we can make an even greater difference for People + Planet.”
Beyond the environmental benefits, CooperVision’s plastic neutrality initiative elevates the lives of Plastic Bank collector members in hundreds of coastal communities.2 In exchange for the ocean-bound plastic waste they collect, adults receive credits to purchase goods and services, including health, work and life insurance, digital connectivity, grocery vouchers, school supplies, and more.3 CooperVision also provides vision screenings and vouchers for complimentary eye examinations and spectacles for eligible Plastic Bank collection members.4
CooperVision and Plastic Bank have been partners since the initiative’s start in 2021. A mini-documentary series filmed on site in Indonesia highlights different aspects of the collaboration, with episodes available at www.CooperVision.com/Bali.
As a leading manufacturer of contact lenses, CooperVision is continuously working to minimize its environmental impact and operate more sustainably around the globe. This includes efforts that extend well beyond plastic neutrality. The company has a strong track record of sustainable manufacturing and operations resulting in award-winning conservation efforts in Puerto Rico5 and prestigious sustainability certifications in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.‡§6,7 At the center of CooperVision’s sustainability platform is its commitment to design with intention and embrace innovation as a means for caring for People + Planet.
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* CooperVision, through its collaboration with Plastic Bank, to have collected and converted approximately 10.26M kg of plastic destined for waterways as of April 2025. Using Plastic Bank's metric of 1kg of plastic equaling 50 standard 202mm bottles, that will be the equivalent of approximately 513M plastic bottles not reaching our oceans.
† Plastic used in participating CooperVision soft contact lens products 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). The determination does not include plastic used during the manufacturing process for both these products and their packaging.
‡ CooperVision has achieved Zero Waste Program Certification for six of its global manufacturing and distribution sites — Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico; Alajuela, Costa Rica; Delta Park and Mount Park in the UK; and Scottsville & West Henrietta, NY — reflecting their success in preventing or diverting waste from landfills. Zero Waste Program Certification is obtained through SCS Global Services, an international leader in third-party certification, validation, and verification for environmental sustainability.
§ CooperVision has 8 facilities across 4 countries and the island of Puerto Rico that are LEED® or BREEAM® certified. LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. BREAM: Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology
References
1 CVI data on file, 2021, 2020-2020 Plastic Bank Contract Agreement.
2 CVI data on files as of 04/2025.
3 How Plastic Bank Works. A Social Fintech | About Us | Plastic Bank. Accessed March 18, 2025.
4 CVI data on file, 2024.
5 CooperVision. CooperVision Production Site Receives Environmental Sustainability and Occupational Health & Safety Honors. https://coopervision.com/our-company/news-center/press-release/coopervision-production-site-receives-environmental. Accessed March 18, 2025.
6 SCS Global Services Certificate Nos. SCS-ZW-0008, SCS-ZW-0011, SCS-ZW-0012, SCS-ZW-0014, SCS-ZW-0018, SCS-ZW-0019.
7 CVI data on file, 2024. US Green Building Council. Building Research Establishment.
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (Nasdaq: 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 (Nasdaq: COO) is a leading global medical device company focused on helping people experience life’s beautiful moments through its two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision is a trusted leader in the contact lens industry, helping to improve the way people see each day. CooperSurgical is a leading fertility and women’s healthcare company dedicated to putting time on the side of women, babies, and families at the healthcare moments that matter most. Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., CooperCompanies has a workforce of more than 16,000, sells products in over 130 countries, and positively impacts over fifty million lives each year. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
About Plastic Bank
Plastic Bank empowers the regenerative society. The social enterprise helps the world stop ocean plastic while improving the lives of collector communities. Plastic Bank builds ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities and reprocesses the materials for reintroduction into the global manufacturing supply chain. Collectors receive bonuses for the materials they collect, which helps them provide basic family necessities such as groceries, cooking fuel, school tuition, and health insurance. Plastic Bank's Alchemy™ blockchain platform secures the entire transaction and provides real-time data visualization – allowing for transparency, traceability, and rapid scalability. The collected material is reborn as Social Plastic®, which can be easily reintegrated into products and packaging as part of a closed-loop supply chain. Learn more at plasticbank.com.
Media Contact
Heather Kowalczyk, APR, McDougall Communications
heather@mcdougallpr.com or +1-585-330-4878