SAN RAMON, Calif., July 6, 2023—CooperVision’s global packaging and distribution center in West Henrietta, N.Y. has earned the prestigious LEED® Silver certification for its environmentally conscious design and operation. The 200,000-square-foot facility—which processes and ships nearly one billion contact lenses each year to customers around the world—excelled in LEED evaluation categories including materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and water efficiency.
“CooperVision continuously seeks opportunities to be more sustainable in our operations and identified and implemented several enhancements at our West Henrietta site for a positive environmental impact,” said Jim Fiorino, Sr. Director of Distribution Operations, America’s CooperVision. “The LEED Silver requirements are stringent, and the process of certification is not easy. I’m proud of our team’s commitment to making this happen for our employees, customers, business, and planet.”
The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence in sustainable design, construction, and operations. 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.
CooperVision’s packaging and distribution center received additional innovation credits for its exemplary performance regarding diverting waste from landfills, as well as its organic composting program. It also earned regional priority credits based on its LED lamp replacement project in its warehouse and offices, a site management policy and improvement plan for its green spaces, and renewable energy credits. The facility is powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
Other LEED-certified CooperVision sites include the company’s manufacturing facilities in Scottsville, N.Y., Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica, and its distribution center in Spain. A secondary packaging and distribution facility in the U.K. also holds a BREEAM® “Excellent” rating.
The West Henrietta facility is currently undergoing construction to expand the site’s footprint by more than 50 percent. The project includes innovative technology upgrades for packaging, storage, order picking, and warehouse management. It is expected to be complete by late summer 2023.
CooperVision’s LEED certifications and BREEAM rating reflect only a portion of its environmental initiatives focused on saving water and conserving energy; reducing, reusing, and recycling resources; and empowering people within the company and the communities in which it operates. In 2021, CooperVision pioneered the world’s first plastic neutral contact lenses through a partnership with Plastic Bank®, through which the company purchases credits to fund the collection, processing, and reuse of general ocean-bound plastic waste that is equal to the weight of the plastic contained in the product 1† CooperVision now offers a complete portfolio of net plastic neutral contact lenses in designated countries.1 The company is continuously working to minimize environmental impact and operate more sustainably around the globe as part of broader efforts across CooperCompanies to contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. For more information, visit coopervision.com/sustainability.
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† Net Plastic Neutrality, in the contact lens industry, out of the top 4 global contact lens manufacturers. Net 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; collection locations are determined by Plastic Bank. CooperVision purchases credits equal to the weight of plastic in clariti® 1 day, MyDay®, MiSight® 1 day and Biofinity® orders in a specified time period. clariti® 1 day, MyDay®, MiSight® 1 day and Biofinity® plastic is determined by the weight of plastic in the blister, the lens, and the secondary package, including laminates, adhesives, and auxiliary inputs (e.g. ink).
1 CVI data on file 2022
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (NYSE:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of contact lenses. The company produces a full array of daily disposable, two-week and monthly soft contact lenses that feature advanced materials and optics, and premium rigid gas permeable lenses for orthokeratology and scleral designs. CooperVision has a strong heritage of addressing the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism, presbyopia, childhood myopia, and highly irregular corneas; and offers the most complete portfolio 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 www.coopervision.com.
About CooperCompanies
CooperCompanies ("Cooper") is a global medical device company publicly traded on the NYSE (NYSE:COO). 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 women, babies and families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on medical devices and fertility & genomics. Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., Cooper has a workforce of roughly 14,000 with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
Media Contact
Heather Kowalczyk, APR, McDougall Communications for CooperVision
heather@mcdougallpr.com or +1 (585) 434-2148
LEED®, and its related logo, is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council® and is used with permission.