Specsavers wins green award

The Specsavers team celebrate their win at the Retail Week Awards

Specsavers has been recognised for its work on sustainability at the Retail Week Awards. The Green Initiative of the Year award recognised a project to reduce the environmental impact of producing 51 million lenses every year. 

The firm redesigned manufacturing and stocking processes, cutting the average amount of hard-to-recycle swarf waste (debris from machining) by half over 12 months. 

Tracy Pellett, group sustainability and business transformation director, said: “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, the ophthalmic lenses team, in conjunction with suppliers and labs, has introduced optimised pucks across semi-finished blank ranges.

Specsavers now has two options when it comes to manufacturing: a thicker lens that’s used for 20 per cent of jobs (higher prescriptions), and a thinner lens that’s used on all other jobs. 

Suppliers have seen a range of benefits, said the company, including 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.