(PRESS RELEASE) SAN RAMON, CA — 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 235,000-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, senior director, Distribution Operations, Americas, 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 net plastic neutral† contact lenses in 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. CooperVision now offers a complete portfolio§ of net plastic neutral† contact lenses in designated countries. 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 here.