By Vision Monday Staff

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Johnson & Johnson Vision, which works to help people around the world see better, connect better and live better, said it understands the value in extending this commitment to ensure it supports the health of the planet as well. “After all, it takes a healthy planet to have healthy people and communities,” the company noted in a recent LinkedIn post coinciding with World Earth Day (April 22). In addition, J&J Vision said that it has made two important changes to the way some products are made and distributed to benefit the planet. The changes and products are:

  • All Acuvue brand contact lenses are now made with 100 percent renewable electricity—hitting the Johnson & Johnson Vision global climate goal of sourcing 100 percent of the company’s electricity needs from renewable energy two years early. Johnson & Johnson Vision has a production site in Limerick, Ireland, that is already powered by wind energy and now its headquarters manufacturing site in Jacksonville, Fla., has gone live with a new partnership to power it from 100 percent solar energy

  • Johnson & Johnson Vision also removed the plastic pouches placed on the outside of all customer delivery boxes in Europe, saving approximately 10 tons of plastic every year. With new stickers on the outside, delivery notes will now be placed on the inside of the box alongside the product. Plans are under way to look at extending this initiative globally.
The company also noted that its overall sustainability efforts are focused in three areas:

Reducing Carbon Footprint

J&J Vision is committed to achieving carbon neutrality in all its operations by 2030. To date it has:

  • Saved 42,000 tons of CO2 per year through renewable and energy efficiency initiatives, equivalent to removing 9,074 cars from the road.

  • Achieved both certification and recertification of ISO50001 standard for its energy management systems—including policies, targets, improvements and use of data.
Preserving Natural Resources

Protecting the world's natural resources means everything from combatting deforestation—like sourcing paper packaging from sustainable forestry products—to reducing water usage and ensuring products don't end up in streams, rivers and oceans. Some initiatives include:

  • Ensuring all Acuvue contact lenses come in 100 percent sustainable paper packaging (box and leaflet) certified by either the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) or Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).

  • Exploring alternative ways to present and produce leaflets and materials, launching “Electronic Directions for Use” in markets where they meet regulatory guidelines.

  • Implementing a new packaging design for several surgical vision products, which will see a reduction in packaging waste. Once implemented it will be utilized for all future products.
Waste Reduction

Johnson & Johnson Vision is on a mission to limit landfill contribution through recycling efforts and by continuously exploring opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of its packaging. So far, it already is doing:

  • Recycling 90 percent of unused materials from Acuvue manufacturing sites.

  • Launched the Acuvue contact lens recycling program in the U.K., in partnership with TerraCycle, which has seen over 8.5 million contact lenses, blister packs and foils recycled—and with a view to exploring ways to extend the scheme to other markets.
The company noted that these are just a few examples of how J&J Vision is meeting its sustainability commitments, and that it will continue to make progress to ensure a healthier planet for healthier people.

To find out more about J&J Vision’s sustainability efforts visit the web pages https://www.acuvue.com/sustainability or https://www.jjvision.com/corporate-social-responsibility.