PLEASANTON, Calif., January 30, 2019—The CooperVision contact lens manufacturing facility in Alajuela, Costa Rica has been awarded prestigious LEED® Silver certification for its environmentally-conscious design and operation. The 100,000-square-foot site, opened in 2016, produces the company’s popular clariti® 1-day silicone hydrogel contact lenses. It is believed to be the only LEED Silver-certified contact lens manufacturing site in the world.
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.
“Achieving LEED certification is more than implementing sustainable practices. It represents a commitment to making the world a better place and influencing others to do better,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC. “Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the central role of the building industry in that effort, CooperVision demonstrates their leadership through LEED certification of its Costa Rica site.”
The CooperVision site excelled in LEED evaluation categories including energy and water conservation, transportation, waste reduction, and human experience to earn the honor. In addition to a range of features that were operational upon its opening, the Costa Rica team has continued to advance sustainable practices for additional gains. These include recovery of organic waste for composting, reducing hot water use, implementing new energy and water consumption monitoring, and expanding LED illumination.
“Our efforts in Costa Rica have a clearly positive effect on employee wellness, health and productivity. They’re appreciated by like-minded customers who see us as partners in their own sustainability initiatives. Of course, a green building such as this is a clear way of demonstrating our environmental practices to the community,” said Rolando Torres, Senior Vice President, America Manufacturing Operations for CooperVision. “Earning LEED Silver certification is testament to incredible dedication by our teams in Alajuela, as well as the countless people across the entire company who have supported and encouraged us.”
The LEED Silver certification reflects only a portion of CooperVision environmental initiatives focused on saving water, conserving energy; reducing, reusing and recycling resources; and empowering people within the company and the communities in which it operates. Its recently-introduced website that highlights its efforts around the globe is available at coopervision.com/sustainability.
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About CooperVision
CooperVision, a unit of The Cooper Companies, Inc. (NYSE:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses. The Company produces a full array of monthly, two-week and daily disposable contact lenses, all featuring advanced materials and optics. CooperVision has a strong heritage of solving the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism and presbyopia; and offers the most complete collection of spherical, toric and multifocal products available. Through a combination of innovative products and focused practitioner support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and wearers. For more information, visit coopervision.com.
About The Cooper Companies
The Cooper Companies, Inc. ("Cooper") is a global medical device company publicly traded on the NYSE (NYSE:COO). Cooper is dedicated to being A Quality of Life Company™ with a focus on delivering shareholder value. Cooper operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision brings a refreshing perspective on vision care with a commitment to developing a wide range of high-quality products for contact lens wearers and providing focused practitioner support. CooperSurgical is committed to advancing the health of families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on women’s health, fertility and diagnostics. Headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., Cooper has more than 12,000 employees with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
Media Contact
Mike McDougall, APR, Fellow PRSA
McDougall Communications for CooperVision, Inc.
mike@mcdougallpr.com or +1-585-545-1815
LEED®, and its related logo, is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council® and is used with permission.