Introducing sustainability at Specsavers

For nearly 40 years we’ve been committed to changing lives through better sight and hearing. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved, and we are committed to exploring what more we can do.

So, we’ve been taking some time to understand the impact we have on the planet we share, with the people we support, both in our communities and across our teams. We’re looking at everything we do through a sustainability lens to work towards our belief of changing our precious planet and our lives for the better.

Our commitment is to make a positive difference and to change the way we operate so that we are net-zero carbon by 2050 at the latest. We also have our eyes locked onto making eyecare available to those most in need, and we’re testing ourselves to provide an even more inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves and feel proud to belong.

We have some bold targets and, powered by the energy and inspiration of our 40,000 colleagues worldwide, our supply chain partners, and our 41m customers, we’re focused on achieving them.

Planet

Target net zero carbon (scopes 1, 2 and 3) by 2050

Being green is more than just the colour of our brand.

Across our stores and support offices, we’re proud of the fact we’re helping millions of customers across the world, but we know we have a responsibility to find ways to do this that are better for the planet.

We are challenging ourselves to make sure everything we do has as minimal effect on the environment as possible.

The first step on our mission to be net-zero carbon by 2050 (at the latest) is to get our operational (scope 1 and 2) emissions to carbon positive by 2035, and to do this we’ll find ways to reduce the emissions we have direct control over. Our net-zero carbon strategy will involve first maximising the reduction of carbon emissions across every part of our value chain, procuring the residual carbon we need from renewable sources and, as last resort, delivering a credible offsetting strategy to compensate for the carbon impacts we are unable to mitigate.

Products that feel good, look good, do good

Our products help change the lives of millions of people.

We are now on the case to make sure our products not only do good for people’s health but are manufactured and shipped in a way that minimises harm to the environment.

An important step for us is to find more sustainable materials to use in the products we create; and we’re committed to reducing non-renewable plastic where we can too.

For those times when there’s no other option, we’ll make sure we create products that are easily recycled.

Less packaging – it’s a no brainer

It’s not just our products that we’ve got our sights on, we are also looking at the packaging needed to protect our products. By 2030 we’re going to make sure that, where possible, all our packaging is recyclable.

As an immediate first step, we are reducing the amount of packaging we use, and when it’s needed to deliver our products safely to our stores and customers, we’ll make sure the packaging we use is as sustainable as possible.

A little help from our friends

We’re not alone. Our suppliers stand with us and will be using our new Supplier Code of Conduct to help drive better sustainable production practices through strong collaboration and sharing of best practise.

From making our products, to transporting them around the world, our supply chains have an impact on the environment, so it’s important our suppliers share our ambitions and are working with us to help achieve our goals.

What a waste

We all know landfill is not sustainable so, by 2027, we’ll stop using it.

We’re looking at all the ways we can responsibly treat the waste we generate so that it can be reused or recycled – that goes for everyone that works with us – to share our vision, just as we share our planet. Our ultimate aim is to ensure no resources are wasted.

Water, water

We rely on water to make and deliver our products and services, so we need to act responsibly in the way we treat this invaluable and precious resource.

That’s why we’re finding ways to conserve water at its highest quality. All new sites will have water-efficient technologies installed as standard, and we’ll retro-fit them at our existing sites.

Community

Better access to care

We believe that access to better health is a basic human right, not a privilege. So we want to make sure we can reach people that need it most.

We’re committed to helping contribute to the wellbeing of the communities where we operate and in our supply chain – breaking down the barriers to accessing eye and ear care for the most disadvantaged communities in the world.

Giving back

We’ve always helped disadvantaged communities and we intend to build on this rich legacy of contribution.

Our global partnerships and local sponsorships will help us give more support to charities, causes and local businesses. We’ll also make it easier for people in our communities to get access to our products and services, like free eye tests for those most in need.

People

Power to the people

We’re committed to helping our people to live more sustainably as part of the Specsavers family.

We know that together, we can make a difference. The small changes we make as individuals all add up. So we want to give everyone the tools and knowledge to make a positive impact in their own way. And help them give back to their communities through fundraising or volunteering.

A culture of wellbeing

As a family-run partnership, we want our colleagues to feel completely cared for.

Our people power our business. And if they aren’t feeling their best, we know they won’t be able to do their best. That’s why health and wellbeing are high on our agenda, and we plan to keep finding ways to support our people, like providing free access to a mindfulness app and other wellbeing tools and help.

Diversity and inclusion

Everyone who works at Specsavers should feel part of an inclusive culture where they feel proud to belong.

To make sure our people feel empowered and represented we’re broadening and strengthening our colleague network groups. We’re also working with inclusion experts who will help us check we’re getting things right in diversity, equality, and inclusion across all our stores, sites and offices.

Careers for all

We’re an ambitious business with ambitious people, so it’s important we’re a place where everyone can grow in their career.

We’re making sure careers are accessible to all – investing in our people to help them grow skills and progress their career, how they choose to.

To date, we have over 500 apprentices forging their careers in our stores and our New Talent programme is helping people kickstart their Specsavers journey. Plus we’re helping people with their ambitions; whether that be to move into management, to train to become an optometrist and to realise their goal of owning a store – there’s so much to do and we want everyone to see what’s possible at Specsavers.