
A new material with a reduced carbon footprint
ZEISS Sunlens climate-friendly sun lenses
A strong awareness of the environment is what motivated ZEISS Sunlens to develop a climate-friendly plano lens through the improvement of the production facilities and the use of renewable resources. The result is a production process that reduces carbon dioxide emissions - an improvement that is certified throughout the value chain by independent organisations.

Environmentally-friendly production process to reduce the carbon footprint
In the new lens production process, 39% bio-based raw materials (from the waste produced by the agricultural industry) partially substitute the fossil-based material throughtout the value chain.
The carbon footprint of this lens has been reduced by 50% compared to a fully fossil-based manufacturing process.
Our contribution to the planet
International certification proves how commited to, and serious ZEISS is about the environment
ZEISS Sunlens was very meticulous and wanted the entire production chain to be certified to REDcert² standards (scheme principles for the certification of sustainable material flows for the chemical industry). The mass balanced product offers a sustainable polyamide lens with verified use of bio-based material and emissions reduction.
To manage the bio-based material, ZEISS Sunlens uses mass balance, where bio-based materials and standard fossil-based materials are handled through the same production instead of being separated.
The mass balance process means that bio-based materials and standard fossil-based materials are used in the same production process instead of being separated in two different production plants. The usage of bio-based material is accounted for and balanced through a system of verification and certification.
Key numbers
Mass balance approach applied to the whole value chain
From the raw material to the finished lens there are many manufacturing steps and many resources are used. Now the whole chain is certified according to REDcert2 standard, to offer a truly sustainable polyamide lens. This is one of the few European sustainability certification systems that can verify all stages.
REDcert² utilizes the mass balance approach: this accounting method ensures that the sustainable bio-based raw materials are blended in upstream facilities with fossil-based raw materials. They are then allocated downstream exclusively to the production of plano sun lenses following the principle of verified volumes in every step of the value chain.

Sustainability at ZEISS
As a company owned by a foundation, sustainability and business success are inextricably linked at ZEISS. Sustainable value added is an integral component of the company's business activity, which focuses on innovative solutions that contribute to positive development in society and enable long-term, profitable growth.