On Earth Day and every day, CooperVision is acting to create a more sustainable world. The company’s first-of-its-kind plastic neutrality initiative has expanded to include additional countries in Europe and Latin America, and will soon launch in select Asian countries. Eye care professionals and contact lens wearers can now view the program’s collective impact—made possible by their partnership with the company—using the new CooperVision Impact Dashboard, which provides updates on how much plastic waste has been collected in collaboration with Plastic Bank^®.

Last year, CooperVision pioneered the world’s first plastic neutral contact lensesby funding Plastic Bank’s collection, processing and reuse of general ocean-bound plastic waste that is equal to the weight of the plastic contained in designated products in North America and Europe. As the program has grown, the company expects to prevent the equivalent of nearly 90 million plastic bottles from reaching Earth’s oceans in 2022.

“For CooperVision, plastic neutrality is about making a meaningful, measurable difference in partnership with eye care professionals and wearers. By simply prescribing and wearing our plastic neutral lenses, they’re making an impact. With our Impact Dashboard, everyone can see for themselves how these contributions quickly add up. It displays the eye-opening amount of ocean-bound plastic we’ve recovered to date and the local communities we’ve empowered—working together,” said Simon Seshadri, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, CooperVision.

Beyond the positive impact on the environment, CooperVision’s plastic neutrality initiative enables Plastic Bank collectors in nearly 200 coastal communities to clean up their towns and villages while earning credits for necessities such as groceries, cooking fuel, school tuition, and health insurance. The Impact Dashboard also includes an interactive map of the communities impacted to date.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Sea2see announces its official certification as a carbon negative brand. By eliminating twice its carbon footprint, as a result of in-depth analysis by Dcycle, experts in life cycle analysis and sustainable transformation strategies, Sea2see has proven that the process of taking sustainable action to dramatically curb emissions and ultimately remove its carbon footprint altogether – twice over – is not just a pipe dream.

“We compensated our already low footprint by supporting and investing in renewable energy projects coordinated and certified by the UN,” explains François van den Abeele, Founder & CEO, Sea2see Eyewear. “Our investment and purchase of carbon credit has allowed us to become carbon negative. Specifically, we are supporting Mexico’s renewable energy ambition by harnessing wind energy to power 700,000 households. In addition to delivering emission reductions to help take urgent action to combat climate change (SDG 13), the project delivers a number of other sustainable development benefits including educational projects and initiatives for reforestation.”

“Our life cycle survey is a vertical analysis of all the steps from the waste collection to the delivery of the product to the final consumer. It highlights Sea2see’s low environment impact through the use of 100% recycled marine plastic compared to the use of Cellulose Acetate, TR90 and virgin nylon in the eyewear industry.” François van den Abeele, Founder & CEO, Sea2see

The analysis concludes that Sea2see “seastainable” optical glasses and sunglasses – made from recycled PA6 marine waste – are 86% less contaminating than Cellulose Acetate, 79% less contaminating than TR90 Grilamid frames and 61% less contaminating than Virgin Nylon 6 sunglasses. Virgin raw materials such as Cellulose Acetate, Grilamid and Nylon require manufacturing processes which are energy-intensive and translate to high CO2 emission and consumption of fossil fuels compared to recycled marine waste used by Sea2see.

Click HERE for the full press release.

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LIVE= You can join in the events in real-time and get a chance to ask questions and participate. Exhibitors are more likely to be in their booths during LIVE events.

ON DEMAND= You can watch the sessions as often as you like and explore the booths even if the exhibitors are not available 24/7

NOTE: All exhibitors and speakers are on standby and look forward to answering your questions. Please use our meeting scheduler or reach out to our events coordinators at info@myvisionshow.com if you would like to set up a meeting with any of our speakers, exhibitors or event team,

My Vision Show was built to include all professionals of the optical, optometry and ophthalmology industries. It is our sole purpose to be sure that all participants have a chance to share their opinion and to be heard. Some of our most popular events: Opticianry Peer Panel, IMAGINEM track, live networking and our incredible speaker line up!

VIEW SCHEDULE

Each day features a packed schedule of peer-generated content, face-to-face shopping experiences and real-time networking with pros from across the industry and the world. 

Day 1: Optical Retail 

Join Specials Guests: Sara Bureau, Wendy Buchanan, Cynthia Pizzini-Marlo, Shan Khan. Stephen Fournier and a great line up of independent frame companies, labs and virtual try on software.

 Day 2: Eye Care Practice

Join Special Guests: Steve Vargo. OD MBA, Ukti Vora, MBA, M. Optom, FAAO and a great line up of ophthalmic equipment, dry eye solutions and practice consultants.

Day 3: Influencers and Entrepreneurs 

Join special guests: Truffles The Kitty, Carrie Wilson, Charlene Nichols & Chris Taylor and experience over 50 brands who are focused on empowering independent eye care professionals to succeed in their career and business.

Day 4: Optical Metaverse Launch

Join us for a Total Rewind and the first ever glimpse of the Optical Metaverse.

Go to event website HERE.

Post sponsored by My Vision Show.

Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) announces that Lois Schoenbrun, CAE (Ret.), FAAO, has been appointed interim executive director, effective April 11, 2022.

Ms. Schoenbrun formerly served as executive director of the American Academy of Optometry and the American Academy of Optometry Foundation from 1996 to 2019. Ms. Schoenbrun’s tenure at the Academy saw substantial growth in membership, annual meeting attendance, and assets, as well as significantly enhanced standing within the optometric community. She is now president of Schoenbrun Consulting, LLC, providing fund-raising, strategic planning, governance, and executive coaching services to such other clients as the Sport and Social Industry Association, the World Council of Optometry, and the World Optometry Foundation.

“We are delighted to have Ms. Schoenbrun’s experience and knowledge of the profession during this time of critical need for global eye and vision care services. She brings many years of proven organizational and leadership skills, and the interpersonal skills needed to represent OGS well to our global partners,” said Dr. Juan Carlos Aragón, Board chair for the U.S. and president, CooperVision Specialty EyeCare.

OGS expects to launch a search for a new executive director in 2022.

Click HERE for the full press release.

IRIS the Visual Group announces the partnership of Elena Klotz, Optician and the merger of her optical store, Edge Opticians, into the downtown Guelph location in Ontario.

Edge Opticians, a family business, was founded seven years ago by Elena Klotz in the nearby Shoppes at Old Quebec Street. The IRIS location in downtown Guelph #832 is the result of an acquisition of the longstanding Scott Coburn Optical store by IRIS in 2021. The combined business will operate in the existing IRIS location.

“The IRIS vision of providing high-quality products to patients/clients is what most appealed to me. Having a support network while still maintaining the flavour of my individual practice was also appealing.” said Elena.

Elena Klotz is a third-generation eye care professional; her father was an Optometrist and mother an Optician. She has been an Optician for over 25 years having trained at Georgian College. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from University of Guelph.

The new IRIS partnership consists of ownership of shares in an Ontario registered corporation that holds the assets of the downtown Guelph location only.  Elena Klotz will receive dividends based on the profit of this individual location and participate in the appreciation of value of that specific practice as it grows. Elena will also receive a salary as the location’s Managing Optician.

“Partnership gives me a vested interest in the well-being of the practice. As a lifelong entrepreneur, partnership with IRIS meant I would still feel that I was an important part of the growing business,” Elena explained. “IRIS shares the exact same values of respect and high-quality care I have provided and will continue to provide to my loyal clientele in the community.”

Click HERE for the full press release.