Each year, Alcon demonstrates its continuous dedication to serving its global communities; each year, we encourage and support our associates to make direct, positive impacts in their local communities through Alcon in Action, a company-wide community volunteerism initiative.
This year was no different as we held the 11th consecutive Alcon in Action (AiA) and the fifth as a standalone company. Dedicated teams from 30 countries around the world, including Egypt, Italy, Japan, and Switzerland, where Alcon is proudly headquartered, participated in the company-wide volunteering initiative that focused on the three pillars of Alcon’s year-round social impact and sustainability strategy: Brilliant Lives, Brilliant Innovation and Brilliant Planet.
Overall, nearly 4,000 Alcon volunteers dedicated thousands of volunteer hours across 57 sites to make a direct, personal difference in the lives of those who live in their neighborhoods, towns, and cities through projects that address health, hunger, education, and housing needs.
Associates in Poland and Kazakhstan repaired yards and created sensory gardens for the blind and visually impaired. Throughout the world, Alcon helped create five sensory gardens and performed 22 outdoor beautification projects, including in Ireland, where a number of gardening renovations were completed by a team of Alcon Cork associates.
We are delighted by the dedication of these teams as well as those who act year-round to help bolster sustainability and demonstrate Alcon’s strategic pillars. Recently, we expanded our partnership with Plastic Bank, which helped stop the equivalent of over 30 million plastic bottles from polluting precious ocean ecosystems in 2022. Inspired to continue Alcon’s ambitions of keeping our planet brilliant, sites in Thailand, Taiwan, Canada, Singapore, and Spain performed community clean-ups. Overall, 291 kgs. of waste was collected.
Across Alcon’s global sites, we have worked alongside and supported 132 organizations. Associates in Brazil partnered with Ecopatas NGO, an organization that promotes sustainability and social responsibility through environmental and animal protection initiatives, and our associates in Mexico partnered with the Christel House México, which works to transform children’s lives by breaking the cycle of poverty.
We also continued Alcon’s over-20-year-long partnership with Habitat for Humanity by participating in four projects with the nonprofit organization that brings people together to build homes, communities and hope for AiA. One project included over 200 Fort Worth, Texas, associates helping build an affordable home for a local family in need.
Additionally, over 4,200 health kits were created, and over 55,000 meals were packaged or served by Alcon associates.
Every day, Alcon aims to help people by meeting their eye care needs and uplift communities by providing them with better access to quality eye care. While fulfilling this purpose, we take proud ownership of being a responsible corporate citizen and consistently analyze the organization’s social impact. Alcon in Action, a company-wide community volunteerism initiative, demonstrates Alcon’s culture deeply rooted in working together to serve communities year-round. It is just one of the ways that Alcon is making a brilliant impact in lives, through innovation, for the planet.
