PLEASANTON, Calif.—Further extending its global sustainability efforts, CooperVision has launched an initiative in Sweden that offers consumers free soft contact lens recycling for all brands and manufacturers. The CooperVision Contact Lens Recycle Program aims to reduce plastic waste by providing a practical and easy way for wearers to recycle lenses as well as blister and foil packaging, according to an announcement Monday. Wearers have the option of sending contact lens materials directly to CooperVision’s recycling partner, TerraCycle, using pre-paid mailing labels or dropping the lenses off at a network of participating optical stores across Sweden.

The program will also help consumers understand the impact of their efforts, highlighting how the materials will be recycled for everyday use as plastic lumber, park benches and fence posts, the announcement noted.

“Minimizing environmental impact by reducing, reusing and recycling is a key sustainability area of focus at CooperVision,” Jonas Eisenhardt, commercial director and general manager of CooperVision Nordic, said in the announcement. “Waste reduction programs such as this partnership with TerraCycle underpin broader efforts across The Cooper Companies to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”

This consumer-facing pilot initiative complements CooperVision’s extensive sustainability efforts in its manufacturing and distribution operations, which emphasize environmentally responsible practices across four areas: water, energy, recycling and people. From award-winning conservation efforts in Puerto Rico, to earning sustainability certifications in Costa Rica, Spain and the United Kingdom, to operating with 100 percent renewable electricity resources at three Rochester, N.Y-area sites, the company has made sustainability a priority, according to the company’s announcement.

For more information about these initiatives, visit the site CooperVision.com/sustainability.