Johnson & Johnson Vision, a global leader in eye health and manufacturer of ACUVUE® brand contact lenses, has signed a 10-year deal with JEA1 which will see 100% of the electricity at its global headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida come from solar power.
The agreement reinforces the company’s commitment to sustainability with the business to be on track to source 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025, as well as achieve carbon neutrality across all its operations by 2030, as part of Johnson & Johnson’s global climate goals2.
The deal, which goes into effect in 2022, will help Johnson & Johnson Vision meet its renewable electricity target and means that all ACUVUE® brand contact lenses will be made using 100% renewable electricity. Johnson & Johnson Vision’s production site in Limerick Ireland is already powered by 100% wind3.
This comes as ACUVUE® unveils a new sustainability vision with the aim of minimising its impact on the climate, tackling waste and protecting natural resources. The company has launched a new webpage dedicated to the vision, with sustainability resources for patients and eyecare professionals.
Recent sustainability progress Johnson & Johnson Vision and ACUVUE® have made includes:
- Cutting the carbon footprint of transporting contact lenses by 13% by switching from air to ocean freight. Later this year, this will be a 35% reduction4.
- Recycling 90% of unused materials from ACUVUE® manufacturing sites5.
- Saving 42,000 tons of CO2 annually through renewable and energy efficient programs[†]6.
- Launching the ACUVUE® contact lens recycling program in the UK, with 5 million contact lenses and lens cups recycled to date7.
- Reducing paper used in packaging, with a guarantee that all ACUVUE® paper and pulp packaging is 100% sustainable, certified by either the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) or Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)[‡]8.
“As a leader in the healthcare industry, we’re guided by our strong sense of purpose, helping people around the world see better, connect better, live better. That commitment extends to how we innovate to support the health of the planet,” said Peter Menziuso, Worldwide President, Johnson & Johnson Vision§. “We are passionate about sustainability and hope our commitments, together with the new ACUVUE® sustainability vision, can help make a difference.”
As part of the new ACUVUE® sustainability resources, the brand is also encouraging contact lens wearers to not flush their lenses down the toilet or sink to prevent them finding their way into streams, rivers, and oceans. A new public information video and leaflet are now available to download to guide wearers on how to responsibly dispose of their contact lenses.
To find out more about how Johnson and Johnson Vision and ACUVUE® are working towards a healthier planet, visit www.acuvue.com/sustainability
†CO2 savings are based on engineering estimates completed at the time the projects were approved. Equivalency calculation was completed using US EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator
‡PEFC - Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification; SFI® - Sustainable Forestry Initiative®; FSC® - Forest Stewardship Council®
§Peter Menziuso is an employee of Johnson & Johnson Vision, Inc. with oversight as the Global President of the Vision Care organization.
1 JEA is the 8th largest community owned electric and water utility, serving Northeast Florida for more than 100 years
2 Visit https://www.jnj.com/global-environmental-health/climate-and-energy
3 JJV Data on File 2020. Sustainability Statistics for ACUVUE Contact Lens Manufacturing
4 JJV Data on File 2020. Air to Ocean Project
5 JJV Data on File 2021. Data Substantiation for ACUVUE® Manufacturing Recycled Materials Claim
6 JJV Data on File 2021. Data Substantiation for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Projects at US and Ireland ACUVUE Contact Lens Manufacturing Facilities
7 Visit: https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/acuvue
8 JJV Data on File 2021. Data Substantiation for Paper Packaging Certification Claim
* Johnson & Johnson Vision represents the products and services of Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., and the affiliates of both.
** The Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies comprise the surgery, orthopaedics, vision, and interventional solutions businesses within Johnson & Johnson’s Medical Devices segment.
© Johnson & Johnson Medical Ltd. 2021
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