CooperCompanies Releases 2021 Environmental, Social, and Governance Highlights Report, Signs on to United Nations Global Compact

Rhea-AI Summary

CooperCompanies (NYSE: COO) has published its 2021 ESG Highlights Report, detailing ESG progress relevant to stakeholders. Highlights include a 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, gender parity on the Board, and 35% ethnic diversity in the workforce. Cooper became a participant in the UN Global Compact initiative.

Positive

• 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index 2022.
• Achieved gender parity for the Board of Directors.
• 35% of U.S. workforce from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds.
• 6 facilities certified as LEED® or BREEAM®.
• Prevented nearly 28 million plastic bottles from ocean pollution through a partnership with Plastic Bank.
• $1.4 million raised for Optometry Giving Sight, providing eye exams to 275,000 people globally.

Negative

• None.

SAN RAMON, Calif., May 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CooperCompanies (“Cooper”) (NYSE: COO) announced today the publication of its 2021 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Highlights Report, sharing the Company’s progress on ESG items most important to its businesses and stakeholders, including employees, shareholders, customers, and global communities.

The Company also announced in the report it has become a corporate participant of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative that calls on companies to align strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption.

“2021 illustrated the unwavering resilience of Cooper employees and their commitment to improving lives one person at a time,” said Al White, President and CEO of CooperCompanies. “From vision care to women’s health, we remain more committed than ever to ethical business practices, innovative, high-quality products, and being a global employer of choice.”

To guide its ESG efforts, CooperCompanies conducted its first materiality assessment in 2021, which identified eight high-priority ESG topics shared in its inaugural 2020 ESG report. This 2021 ESG Highlights Report provides updated performance metrics covering its high-priority ESG topics and includes stories illustrating Cooper’s commitment to its ESG Pillars (People, Planet, and Partnerships). CooperCompanies aligned with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Standards in developing the report.

Key report highlights include:

• Scored 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index 2022, naming Cooper a Best Place to Work for LGTBQ+ Equality;
• Women made up 49% of its global workforce and the Company achieved gender parity for its Board of Directors;
• Racially and ethnically diverse employees made up 35% of Cooper’s U.S. workforce;
• 6 facilities are LEED® or BREEAM® certified;
• Preventing the equivalent of nearly 28 million plastic bottles from polluting the oceans through its partnership with Plastic Bank in the U.S. and Europe; and
• $1.4 million raised to date for Optometry Giving Sight, providing eye exams for 275,000 people worldwide.

Read more in the Cooper 2021 ESG Highlights Report: https://coopercos.com/esg/.

About CooperCompanies
CooperCompanies ("Cooper") is a global medical device company publicly traded on the NYSE (NYSE: COO). Cooper operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision brings a refreshing perspective on vision care with a commitment to developing a wide range of high-quality products for contact lens wearers and providing focused practitioner support. CooperSurgical is committed to advancing the health of women, babies and families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on medical devices and fertility & genomics. Headquartered in San Ramon, CA, Cooper has a workforce of more than 12,000 with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.

Contact:
Kim Duncan
Vice President, Investor Relations and Risk Management
925-460-3663
ir@cooperco.com

FAQ

What are the key highlights from CooperCompanies' 2021 ESG report?

The 2021 ESG report highlights include a 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, gender parity on the Board of Directors, and 35% ethnic diversity in the workforce.

When did CooperCompanies publish its ESG Highlights Report?

CooperCompanies published its 2021 ESG Highlights Report on May 11, 2022.

What initiatives has CooperCompanies joined related to sustainability?

CooperCompanies has become a corporate participant in the United Nations Global Compact, a voluntary corporate sustainability initiative.

What is CooperCompanies' commitment to diversity and equality?

CooperCompanies scored 100% on the Corporate Equality Index and achieved gender parity on its Board of Directors.

How many plastic bottles has CooperCompanies helped prevent from polluting oceans?

CooperCompanies has prevented the equivalent of nearly 28 million plastic bottles from polluting the oceans through its partnership with Plastic Bank.