Eye Care Community Unites for Clear Vision and Cleaner Oceans

For two years now, Alcon and Plastic Bank have partnered to help people and the planet through sustainability-focused and life-impacting programs that leave lasting positive effects on the environment and individuals.

Communities around the globe are experiencing the consequences of environmental pollution and economic vulnerability. Our partnership operates in 475 of these communities and employs more than 4,700 collection members who gather discarded plastic in exchange for secure income and social benefits, such as health, work and life insurance, digital connectivity, grocery vouchers, school supplies, and fintech services. Already, collection members in the Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil and many other countries have stopped more than 125 million bottles from entering the environment, preventing more than 2.5 million kilograms of plastic from polluting local ecosystems while simultaneously creating a stream of revenue and resources that help open opportunities for themselves and their families.

Throughout the year and across the world, our collaborations also bring together teams of Alcon and Plastic Bank volunteers for initiatives in the very communities where we live and work. One of our recent events was held in Canada, where Plastic Bank was founded and where Alcon has proudly operated for 65 years. Coming together with the British Columbia Doctors of Optometry and the BC Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons, we cleaned the English Bay shoreline of Vancouver.

The event offered a unique opportunity for the eye care community to come together and demonstrate the purpose of our partnership: to act for clear vision and cleaner oceans. Jeroen Bastemeijer, General Manager of Alcon Canada and shoreline clean-up participant, shared that “In working with optometric and ophthalmic societies, customers and our partners, Alcon aims to create programs that enable and inspire sustainability in eye care.”

Alongside Mr. Bastemeijer, more than 75 other participants, including optometrists, opticians, nurses, ophthalmologists, and their family members cleaned the local beaches. “It’s these types of collaborations that bring change to life,” stated David Katz, Plastic Bank Founder and CEO. “By asking ‘How might I be a part of the solution?’ and supporting Alcon’s partnership with Plastic Bank, these local Eye Care Professionals are making an environmental impact and having a profound global influence on people’s lives.”

Alcon and the professionals we serve prioritize patient safety and implement as many practices as possible to protect their vision. Although optometry and ophthalmology, just as in other medical fields, rely on plastics to preserve products and keep patients safe, the eye care community has opportunities to act sustainably every day, whether through partnerships and programs that are centered around the environment or, as ophthalmologist and volunteer Heather O’Donnell, MD, suggests, by keeping patients healthy: “I believe it is important as healthcare providers to reduce our impact on the environment by keeping our population healthy and avoiding carbon-costly interventions. Patient education and communication to promote disease prevention are paramount.”

We recognize our duty to serve customers and patients not only by delivering bold innovation but also by being a responsible corporate citizen. “Through our partnership with Plastic Bank, Alcon hopes to offset the plastics used in our surgical and vision care portfolios to make an even greater impact on our sustainability efforts,” said Charles Herget, Vice President and Global Head of Social Impact and Sustainability at Alcon. “While single-use plastics are essential to the safety and convenience of medical products, we strive to minimize their impact by supporting important initiatives and reducing other product-related plastics in packaging and shipping materials.”

Vancouver-based volunteer at the clean-up, Pavan Avinashi, OD, shared, “We should all care for the sustainability and the long-term safety of our planet and Alcon knows how important it is to keep our ecosystems clean. From a manufacturing perspective, they’re taking action to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and ensure a carbon-neutral effect by 2030.”

Alcon is committed to protecting our planet, and we continually focus on minimizing our environmental footprint through efficiencies, optimizations and collaborations that focus on furthering our social impact and sustainability goals. Partnerships with organizations like Plastic Bank and projects like this shoreline clean-up demonstrate how Alcon is taking action to keep our planet brilliant.

Want to learn more? Check out our most recent Social Impact and Sustainability Report.