Specsavers win green initiative award

Specsavers win green initiative award

Specsavers has been recognised for its sustainability work at this year’s Retail Week Awards.

The Green Initiative of the Year Award was given to Specsavers in recognition of an initiative to reduce the environmental impact associated with the production of 51 million lenses every year by redesigning manufacturing and stocking processes.

Tracy Pellett, group sustainability and business transformation director, says: ‘We’re absolutely delighted for Specsavers to get this recognition, as we have made great strides in the last 18 months with our People, Planet and Community ambitions.

‘To receive this prestigious award when up against such strong competition across the retail sector is even more encouraging and shows we’re moving firmly in the right direction.’

Over the last couple of years, Specsavers ophthalmic lenses team, in conjunction with suppliers and labs, has introduced ‘optimised pucks’ across semi-finished blank ranges.

The result is that Specsavers now has two options when it comes to manufacturing – a thicker lens that’s used for 20% of jobs (higher prescriptions) and a thinner lens that’s used on all other jobs.

As a result, Specsavers has reduced the average amount of hard-to-recycle swarf waste by 50% per lens over a 12-month period plus it has meant that more pucks per container can be shipped.

Suppliers, meanwhile, have seen a decrease in manufacturing times and energy usage per lens, reduced packaging volumes, improved water efficiency, increased container fill and efficiency as well as better use of machines.