SOUTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM, May 23, 2024—Global contact lens manufacturer, CooperVision, has achieved another milestone in its sustainability journey with two of its facilities in Hampshire, UK, being awarded the prestigious LEED® Gold certification. The company’s Mountpark packaging facility in Southampton and its Delta Park distribution facility near Fareham were recently assessed across a range of criteria to quantify their environmental credentials. These sites proudly join other CooperVision facilities in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Spain and the United States that are LEED certified.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a globally-recognised symbol of excellence in green building. Through design, construction and operations practices, LEED-certified buildings strive to help make the world more sustainable. LEED projects earn points by adhering to prerequisites and credits across nine measurements for building excellence; from integrative design to human health to material use. Both CooperVision sites excelled in a number of evaluation categories, including energy performance, transportation and water efficiency.
“We are always looking for ways to operate more sustainably to benefit our employees, customers, business and the planet” said Jason Burden, Vice President Global Packaging Operations at CooperVision. “The Mountpark facility already holds a BREEAM®* “Excellent” rating, which is a positive reflection of its sustainability credentials, and the award of LEED Gold certification at these two sites is a major testament to the dedication of our team, whose participation made this recognition possible.”
CooperVision has focused strongly on sustainability across its business. The company is committed to taking steps in its manufacturing and distribution to operate more sustainably where possible. This includes taking steps to reclaim its manufacturing materials after they have served their initial purpose. The company is also facilitating the responsible sourcing of materials,1 and starting to offset waste from its products and packaging that cannot yet be reused.2† To find out more on CooperVision’s approach to sustainability, visit: https://coopervision.co.uk/about-us/coopervision-sustainability.
* BREEAM® – ‘Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method’.
† Refers to CooperVision’s plastic neutrality initiative with Plastic Bank. 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 its one-day contact lens orders. One-day contact lens plastic is determined by the weight of plastic in the blister, the lens and the secondary package (outer carton), including laminates, adhesives, and auxiliary inputs (e.g. ink).
1. CVI data on file, 2023. CooperVision Supplier Code of Conduct.
2. CVI data on file, 2023.
LEED®, and its related logo, is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council® and is used with permission.