Alcon, the global leader in eye care dedicated to helping people see brilliantly, today announced the expansion of the partnership with Plastic Bank – an organization that builds recycling ecosystems in under-developed communities to fight plastic pollution while providing collection members with a path out of poverty. For each ton of plastic introduced in the marketplace, Plastic Bank will collect an equivalent amount of ocean-bound plastic in vulnerable coastal communities.
In 2022, Plastic Bank removed more than 649,000 kilograms (kg) of plastic waste from the environment to offset the plastic used by Alcon forselect Surgical and Vision Care products. Alcon aims to support the plastic removal ofmore than 990,000 kg in 2023–the equivalent of stopping more than 49 million plastic bottles from reaching the ocean this year.Beyond environmental impact, Alcon’s partnership with Plastic Bank will help more than 330 collection communities globally in 2023.
Collection members exchange the plastic they collect for life-improving benefits such as health insurance, grocery vouchers and school supplies.“While single-use plastics are essential to the safety and convenience of medical products, we strive to minimize their impact on the environment by supportingimportant initiatives like this program with Plastic Bank,’” said Charles Herget, Head of ESG at Alcon. “Our hope with this continued partnership is to further promote the offset of waste with the products in our Surgical and Vision Care portfolio to make an even greater impact on our sustainability efforts. We will also continue to minimize other product-related plastics, such as packaging and shipping materials.”
