Highlights impact and milestones, including distribution of more than 15 million pairs of glasses globally through its Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program
December 07, 2024
New York, NY − (Highpoint Digest) − On April 17, 2024, Warby Parker Inc. (NYSE: WRBY) a direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand focused on vision for all, published its 2023 Impact Report. Each year, Warby Parker tracks and reports its impact on stakeholders following the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Using these guidelines, Warby Parker is able to examine where it is as a company today and envision where it wants to be in the future.
The GRI is one of the most widely recognized sets of global sustainability reporting guidelines that help organizations understand, communicate, and compare their impact on key sustainability topics. Warby Parker also releases a Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) summary and aligns its key areas of sustainability to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the Impact Report.
You can read the 2023 Impact Report here.
Highlights from the 2023 Impact Report include :
Surpassing 15 Million Pairs of Glasses Distributed Through its Buy a Pair, Give a Pair Program : Warby Parker believes in vision for all, which is why for every pair of glasses or sunglasses sold, a pair of glasses is distributed to someone in need through its Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program. According to the World Health Organization, approximately one billion people around the world need glasses but don’t have access to them.
In 2023, Warby Parker surpassed 15 million pairs of glasses distributed globally through its Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program, meaning 15 million more people now have the glasses they need to learn, work, and achieve better economic outcomes. Since launching in 2010, the program has served individuals in over 80 countries.
To learn more about the Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program at warbyparker.com/buy-a-pair-give-a-pair.
Saving 27,000 Pounds of Single-Use Plastic from Landfill through Continued Partnership with Eastman Chemical: In 2022, Warby Parker launched a first-of-its-kind demo lens recycling program in partnership with Eastman Chemical, which continued in 2023. Through this program, discarded demo lenses (the clear lenses used to maintain the frame integrity and shape in transit and for display) from Warby Parker’s two optical labs are broken down to the molecular level and then used as feedstock in place of fossil fuels to produce new materials that are indistinguishable from their counterparts, preserving natural resources in the process. In 2023 alone, this program saved 27,000 pounds of single-use plastic from landfill.
Helping More than 55,000 U.S. Schoolchildren See Clearly through Pupils Project: In 2015, Warby Parker created Pupils Project, a program that works with local organizations and government agencies to provide free vision screenings, eye exams, and glasses to schoolchildren in the U.S. In 2023, Pupils Project expanded to serve New Jersey and Oregon–bringing the program to 40 cities in seven states. During the 2022–23 school year, the program distributed over 55,000 pairs of glasses, the most distributed in one school year to date and an 18% increase from the previous year. In total, over 240,000 pairs of glasses have been distributed through the program.
Launching a New Glasses Reuse Donation Program in Partnership with Lions Club Recycle for Sight: As part of this new program, all Warby Parker stores now accept donations of usable sunglasses or eyeglasses (of any brand) that are collected and sent to the Lions Club to be recycled or refitted for someone in need.
Source and image credit: Warby Parker Inc.
