In a world where environmental consciousness is becoming increasingly vital, daysoft® has been taking bold strides towards sustainability for many years and will continue to do so in 2024. As an environmentally friendly leader in the contact lens industry, we understand the importance of minimising our ecological footprint and making responsible choices for the planet.
Join us as we delve into our sustainable resolutions for the year ahead, from inexhaustible energy initiatives to further reducing plastic and energy waste in our manufacturing process.
Our sustainability goals for 2024
At daysoft®, we have always been committed to innovation, development and the future. The sustainability of what we do and how this affects the planet is front of mind. We’re not just greenwashing because it’s trendy – for many years we have been actively finding and implementing ways to decrease our plastic, water and, energy consumption and lower our carbon footprint.
We’re committed to challenging conventional thinking and embracing radical strategies to address energy consumption and plastic waste. Our sustainability goals for 2024 are to further reduce our energy consumption, plastic consumption, and plastic waste as well as to use more energy from inexhaustible sources for every contact lens we manufacture. By investing in innovative solutions, we’re striving for a more sustainable future. Here’s how we’re going to do it.
Investing in inexhaustible energy sources
One of our priorities is a partial transition to inexhaustible energy sources in order to power our operations. Inexhaustible sources are those that, despite human consumption, cannot be exhausted or depleted. Examples include solar, wind, tidal and geothermal. For years, 100% of the energy we’ve used has come from renewable and sustainable resources.
In 2024, we’re doubling down on our commitment by investing in site infrastructure to target 50% of our energy coming from inexhaustible sources. By reducing our reliance on finite resources, we’re paving the way for a greener tomorrow.
Reducing plastic waste
We’re constantly seeking ways to minimise our environmental impact, especially when manufacturing our environmentally friendly contact lenses. By implementing changes to reduce the mass of plastic used in each contact lens by 25%, we’re significantly reducing our plastic waste output.
While constraints exist around product manufacturing standards, we’re taking action to reduce our pre-consumer process plastic waste by 70% in 2024.
What we’ve already achieved
Daysoft has already made impressive strides in reducing our environmental footprint. Our commitment to sustainability is evident in every aspect of our operations, driving progress towards a greener future.
Over the past five years, we’ve achieved:
- a 75% reduction in plastic consumption per lens, along with reductions in electricity consumption, water usage, and site emissions
- 30% increase in site manufacturing capacity achieved by redesigning our product design and manufacturing process
- 25% increase in manufacturing productivity
- 23% reduction in electricity consumption overall
- 16% reduction in site emissions (CO2 equivalent tonnes)
- 7% reduction in high-purity water consumption
- 100% elimination of dry and wet lens handling quality defects as a result of our INPAC technology
Our recycling philosophy
Our focus on redesign and reduction before recycling aligns with our philosophy of prioritising sustainability at every stage of production. We recognise the importance of enhancing recycling processes and adopting sustainable packaging materials. Every item supplied by daysoft®, except for the contact lens itself, can successfully enter post-consumer recycling streams, further reducing our environmental impact.
For example, all plastic byproducts from our manufacturing process are supplied to one of the UK’s leading plastic recycling companies. Here, they’re recycled into masterbatches to be used for colouring other plastic products. Or they’re used directly in the manufacture of drainage and plumbing products and systems for the construction sector.
How our INPAC technology cuts down on plastic waste
Our innovative INPAC® Technology now means we use up to 65% less plastic packaging per lens compared with other contact lens producers. Here, we’re talking about the blister that you receive your lens in. The blister bowl used by almost all other manufacturers weighs around 1.30g for each lens whereas our INPAC® blister weighs around 0.45g for each lens, which equates to 65% less plastic.
Why? Because the lens is formed entirely in the pack!
So… imperfections are avoided and hygiene is improved because the lens is never handled. There’s a small cavity that can be felt at the bottom of the INPAC® ‘blister’. This is where the dry lens is formed. Then, it absorbs 58% weight in saline and expands by a similar amount, before becoming a high-precision super-soft daysoft® lens.
Our manufacturing process reduces waste and upcycles byproduct
And it’s not just our packaging that uses less plastic, it’s the manufacturing process itself. Unlike our legacy three-mould system, we now only use two moulds. Your lens is formed, hydrated and packaged in one of those moulds. So, the mould we use to form the lens becomes the pack, reducing manufacturing waste.
Our innovative approach to manufacturing and packaging has reduced the plastic used in making our contact lenses by 50%, compared with what we used in our three-mould process. This means the plastic content of our lenses is around a third less than that of other manufacturers. On top of that, all byproducts from our manufacturing process are recovered and recycled.
And, because daysoft® lenses are designed and manufactured in the UK, they have a lower carbon footprint than those that are shipped from across the globe.
Shop Pay purchase option invests in the planet
Did you know that you can buy your daysoft® contact lenses online and remove carbon from the air? All you have to do is select Shop Pay at the checkout. Shop Pay is an accelerated checkout service that calculates the carbon emissions each delivery produces and plants or protects enough trees across the globe to offset this.
Choosing Shop Pay means you are reducing the environmental impact of your online purchases, at no extra cost. Read more about how Shop Pay is investing in the planet and supporting climate solutions here.
As we embark on this journey towards a more sustainable future, we invite you to join us in our mission to protect the planet for generations to come. Together, we can make a difference – one pair of environmentally friendly contact lenses at a time. Take a look at our subscription options.
