Specsavers in Wales has been awarded an accreditation from the Greener Primary Care Wales Framework and Award Scheme, recognising its commitment to reducing its environmental impact across all stores in Wales.
Launched by the Primary Care Division of Public Health Wales, the framework encourages primary care providers, including optometry practices, to adopt sustainable practices and contribute to Wales’ environmental goals.
Doug Perkins, the Wales-born founder of Specsavers, said:
‘Achieving this accreditation from Greener Primary Care Wales demonstrates our ongoing commitment to reducing our environmental impact, which aligns with Specsavers’ broader sustainability ambitions.
‘At Specsavers, we believe in fostering a culture of environmental stewardship, promoting responsible resource use, and working towards reducing our carbon footprint across all areas of our operations. This achievement is an important step forward in contributing to a healthier, more sustainable future for our communities in Wales.’
The Greener Primary Care Wales Framework aligns with Welsh Government’s vision to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Through initiatives like these, Specsavers continues to prioritise environmental sustainability while delivering high-quality eye and hearing care services to customers across the country, the firm said.
Sian Evans, consultant in public health from Public Health Wales, said:
‘We have been delighted to work with Specsavers over the last year and see the company gain a Greener Primary Care Wales Corporate Bronze Award for their efforts at a national level.
‘We’ve also awarded two individual stores a gold award for their local action in championing this work and we hope that more stores can take inspiration from this in 2025.’
Her colleague from Public Health Wales, Angharad Wooldridge, senior public health practitioner, added:
‘Specsavers’ commitment to environmental sustainability across all of its Welsh stores sets a commendable example in the optometry sector.
‘By implementing eco-friendly practices, Specsavers contributes significantly to our national efforts to reduce carbon emissions and promote a healthier environment for the people of Wales.’
Specsavers’ sustainability measures include carbon management, promoting healthy lifestyle changes and adopting more eco-friendly operational practices. The organisation currently has a bronze accreditation, and it said it remained committed to exploring further opportunities to advance to silver and gold accreditation under the scheme in the coming years.
