Sustainability in optometry
Sustainability in business aims to prevent the depletion of natural or physical resources so that they remain available for the long term and maintain an ecological balance.
Many optical practices understand that sustainability is a growing concern for their patients. Practices are therefore keen to demonstrate how they are reducing their carbon footprint and the amount of waste they produce to create an environmentally ethical workplace.
How a sustainability policy can help your practice
Creating a sustainability policy allows practices to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. It also provides staff and patients with an understanding of the practice’s environmental ethos and what it can influence.
A sustainability policy can help practices to:
- comply with environmental legislation
- use less energy, create less waste, and reduce costs
- ensure employees and colleagues feel good about working in a practice
- enhance a practice’s reputation with environmentally conscious customers
Resources to help practices create a sustainability policy
- Create your own sustainability policy with the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) provides a sample sustainability policy template
- ABDO sustainability self-assessment tool is a questionnaire with ideas and activities to help practices get started on their sustainability journey
- Initial steps to becoming a sustainable practice is a video covering why sustainability in optometry is needed. It also covers the initial steps and planning needed, taking into account the size of a practice and feasibility
- Carbon Footprint business calculators* provides tools to help businesses measure and report their carbon emissions
*Practices will need to create an account to access some of the tools
Tips to get started
Start by focusing on one or two areas which are easy to implement and can be assessed weekly. Some examples of areas for practices to consider are listed below.
It may be beneficial to gain local support by promoting what you are doing. For practices with social media accounts, this can be a good way to do this.
Travel – staff and patients
- pointing out public transport options for staff where applicable
- promoting local public transport options for patients
- setting up car share options for staff where applicable
- Cycle to work schemes for staff where appropriate – these can have financial benefit for both employer and employee
Energy consumption – looking at ways to improve and reduce the carbon output of a practice
- ensuring practice heating or cooling systems are efficient, for example using timers
- installing insulation where applicable
- fitting LED lights
Waste – recycling or reusing as much packaging as possible
- find local waste collection companies who recycle
- use contact lens re-cycling schemes such as Johnson & Johnson Vison or Terracycle
- advising patients on recycling contact lens solution bottles and cases which can usually be recycled in household waste
Frames and accessories
- find companies that produce environmentally friendly frames through their manufacturing process, or materials for frames
- encouraging re-glazing of patient frames where applicable
- collecting second hand frames to send to charities who reuse them
- recycling frames that are past their best
Examples of good practice
Practices that have already made sustainable changes include Woodhouse Opticians in Blackpool and Simon Berry Optometrist in Durham.
The video below from Simon Berry provides some practical tips for becoming more sustainable:
Other areas of support
- Visit the ABDO SEE Hub for resources and case studies
- Attend the Eyes on Sustainability conference 2025 on Monday 6 October, 2025
- Sustainable care pathways guidance from the Sustainable Care Pathways Coalition
- SEE Sustainability for primary care
