BLOG: Our friends in the industry care, too
All too often, the medical drug and device industry and its people are characterized as being entirely profit-driven.
While companies do indeed exist to make money for their stockholders, many have mission statements about serving mankind that are more than just words to please the public. With regard to sustainability, the individuals who work in these companies are just as motivated as the 96% of ophthalmic practice personnel who reported they were very concerned about the environmental impact of operating room waste.
At the recent American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting, David Chang and I co-chaired an EyeSustain industry workshop, bringing together leadership from our industry’s biggest corporate entities, to talk about what each company is doing for the environment. Their reports were inspiring, and I’d like to share a high-level view here.
Industry sustainability initiatives generally fall into two categories. First are green efforts in the manufacturing process, such as creating designs that prioritize sustainability, saving energy in the manufacturing process and recycling raw materials. The other category affects the consumer and postconsumer side of the equation, such as reducing, reusing or recycling product packaging or reduction of the size of the product or making it reusable. In general, reusability is far more beneficial than recyclability.
At our ASCRS industry workshop meeting, Erin Powers of BVI spoke about how decreasing drape sizes, reducing and altering packaging, and using laser etching instead of printing have been an impactful first set of steps for her company. Alex Long of Alcon described his company’s pursuit of trayless cassette packs and compostable green cell foam packaging and its worldwide shift to a QR code instead of a thick, printed “directions for use” document in the package with every IOL. And an electronic directions for use (e-DFU) doesn’t just save paper; it also reduces the overall IOL package size.
Aaron Kendrick shared Johnson & Johnson Surgical’s own move to an e-DFU and its goal to have manufacturing be carbon neutral by 2030 by choosing renewable energy resources and seeking to send nothing to the landfill. Andy Chang spoke of Zeiss’ worldwide move to an e-DFU along with its effort to obtain ophthalmic viscosurgical devices from nonanimal sources, which means less cost, less refrigeration of raw materials and less demand for carbon-producing animal products. Chuck Hess described Bausch + Lomb Surgical’s moves to reduction and recyclability of surgical packaging, IOL box size reduction and recycling of contact lens blister packs through local optometrist offices. We also heard impressive reports from Valerie Smith of Glaukos and Roger Tyler of Corza (formerly known as Katena).
Efforts toward sustainability are a journey rather than a destination. Each one of us each day must consciously do our part to “walk instead of drive.” And it’s extremely encouraging to see the biggest names in the biggest companies walking by our side.
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