Subject: CSR
VSP Vision Releases 2023 Social Responsibility Impact Report; Announces More Than 4 Million People Helped Through VSP Vision Eyes of Hope
2023 Impact Report spotlights the company's advancements in accelerating health equity, advancing sustainability, and empowering diversity, equity, and inclusion
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., April 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, VSP Visiontm released its 2023 Impact Report, which highlights the company's progress toward its corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments. The second annual report provides details on how VSP Vision continues to collaborate with its network of optometrists, community partners and employees to accelerate health equity, empower diversity, equity, and inclusion, and advance sustainability.
In 2023 alone, VSP Vision invested nearly $13.5 million in direct and in-kind funding to positively impact communities and increase equitable access to vision care. It also increased the number of frames made from sustainable, recycled and biobased materials to 33%, launched a new scholarship to help advance the next generation of optometrists, and removed the equivalent of 39 tons of carbon dioxide from the air by using more sustainable shipping boxes.
"We are proud to report the progress we're making through meaningful collaboration with our stakeholders and partners to help build a future that is more equitable, inclusive and sustainable," said VSP Vision President and CEO Michael Guyette. "As we celebrate these milestones and achievements, we are mindful that advancing our social responsibility efforts is a journey and we will continue to hold ourselves accountable to making progress so that, together, we contribute to a world where everyone can bring their best vision to life."
Additional Highlights from the 2023 Impact Report
Accelerating Health Equity:
- Achieved a milestone of more than 4 million people helped through VSP Vision Eyes of Hope® since the program's inception, with 264,000 receiving access to free vision care in 2023 alone.
- Invested $775,000 in relief to those impacted by disasters ($21 million to date).
- Invested $416,000 in scholarships and grants to help advance the next generation of optometrists and create a pathway for more diverse students to enter the optometric field ($3.3 million to date).
Empowering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
- Introduced new DE&I learning path to educate employees on building upon their DE&I acumen.
- Hosted a range of educational and awareness events for employees, led by the eight VSP® Business Resource Groups, which encourage learning from diverse perspectives, connection, collaboration and allyship.
- Expanded VSP Vision's pipeline of suppliers through initial focus of its Supplier Diversity Program, exceeding 18% diverse spend within the year.
- Established the inaugural Empowering Equity Scholarship to increase awareness about career opportunities in the optometric industry for black students.
Advancing Sustainability:
- Introduced sustainable frame materials, including recycled steel, Acetate Renew by Eastmantm and Tenite Renewtm by Eastman throughout various brands in the company's portfolio.
- Increased the percentage of frames made from sustainable, recycled and biobased materials to 33%, an 8% increase from 2022. This brings the company closer to its goal of producing 50% of eyewear frames from sustainable materials by 2025.
- Using the fully sustainable e-commerce shipping box made from 100% recyclable materials that it created in 2022, VSP Vision shipped 184,000 boxes in 2023, saving the equivalent of 721 mature trees and resulting in the removal of 39 tons of carbon dioxide from the air.
"I feel proud to work for a company that is committed to providing equitable access to eye care, fostering employee growth and a strong culture of belonging, and making a positive impact on the planet and communities we serve," said Christina Watkins, VSP Vision Supervisor of Client Management Operations, who is also a Business Resource Group member and Employee Giving ambassador.
Through VSP Hearts at Work, the company's employee giving and volunteering platform, employees supported more than 700 causes by logging 9,000 volunteer hours and raising $441,000. The company also launched its inaugural VSP Vision Volunteer Month in April 2023, where 114 employee volunteers logged more than 700 hours with charitable causes in one month alone.
Learn more about the company's commitment to social responsibility.
About VSP Vision
At VSP Visiontm, our purpose is to empower human potential through sight. As the first national not-for-profit vision benefits company, this is what drives everything we do. For nearly 70 years, VSP has been the leader in health-focused vision care. Every day, the people that power our complementary businesses?VSP® Vision Care, Marchon Eyewear, Inc., Visionworks®, Eyefinity®, Eyeconic, VSP® Optics, and VSP® Ventures?work together to create a world where everyone can bring their best vision to life. That means providing affordable access to eye care and eyewear for more than 85 million members through a network of more than 41,000 doctors. It also means expanding access to vision care to those disadvantaged by income, distance, or disaster through VSP Visiontm Eyes of Hope®. To date, more than 4 million people in need have received access to no-cost eye care and eyewear through one of our Eyes of Hope programs. Learn more about how we're reinvesting in greater vision, health, and opportunities for all at vspvision.com.
Media Contact
Candace Koehler
[email protected]
SOURCE VSP Vision
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