Kering Eyewear and ZEISS Sunlens reach next milestone for sustainable sunglasses

VARESE, Padua/Italy, AALEN,Germany | 03.August 2021 | ZEISS Vision Care

Kering Eyewear and ZEISS Sunlens have been collaborating for years in the development and supply of sun lenses. This year an important achievement in improving the carbon footprint of sunglass manufacturing has been reached through the development of more eco-friendly manufactured lenses. The newly developed sun lenses entail on a mass-balance base a significant part of bio-based material, complementing Kering Eyewear’s sustainable frames and providing consumers with a valid option for sustainable sunglasses. It has already been certified for its effective improvement throughout the value chain by REDCert, a certification system accredited by the European Commission.

“Kering Eyewear and ZEISS both have sustainability and corporate responsibility anchored in their strategies as a priority”, says Dr. Matthias Metz, President and CEO of ZEISS Vision Care. “As a company with a foundation as sole owner and a heritage of more than 130 years of corporate responsibility, we are taking sustainable actions throughout our entire value chain on our way to carbon dioxide neutrality in all our activities by 2025.”

Introducing together with Kering Eyewear the sunlens with a significantly improved carbon footprint is one of the next milestones in making sun lens production more sustainable, highlighting the many different levers, from the use of bio-based materials to renewable electricity in manufacturing, to be activated to create sustainably better products.

ZEISS’ goals of sustainability and responsibility are fully shared by Kering Eyewear. Since the very beginning, Kering Eyewear’s approach has followed Kering’s sustainability strategy, built on three key pillars: “Care, Collaborate and Create”. These three values, shared across the Group, fully represent Kering Eyewear’s vision, where, far more than an ethical necessity, sustainability is a driver of innovation and value creation, truly representing a core principle for the company.

Kering Eyewear demonstrates its engagement on sustainability issues every day, making this topic its top priority. Since 2017, we have actively pursued materials and production processes to reduce the environmental impact, focusing on recycled or bio-based solutions. With an eye towards the future, Kering Eyewear is focused on empowering its imagination on sustainability to respect the environment, care about people, and create innovatively” commented Roberto Vedovotto, President and CEO of Kering Eyewear.

The new material will gradually be introduced into Kering Eyewear FW21 sun collections across all Brands in the portfolio.

The focus on improved production is what motivated ZEISS Sunlens, the division which produces plano tinted lenses, to develop a more eco-friendly lens. This project is aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions and to certify this improvement throughout the value chain by independent organizations.

“Our goal with this sustainable lens is to be 100% aware of the resources that are used throughout the process and what the overall impact of this lens represents: from the raw material to the finished lens” says Pietro Speroni, Head of ZEISS Sunlens. “We aren’t looking for an easy green claim but for a thoroughly verified and certified process which makes a difference to our environment.”

“Supporting our partner Kering Eyewear’s sustainability ambitions and meeting growing consumer demand fits perfectly with the ZEISS values: seeing beyond limitations, enabling customers to develop further and contribute our share to a sustainable future,” adds Dr. Metz. “Of course, this project is just another step on our journey to a sustainable future, but it illustrates impressively how thoroughly sustainable products have and can be designed and produced.”

In the manufacture of clear organic prescription and stock lenses, ZEISS has been implementing a clear strategy to reduce its environmental footprint. For instance, new optical designs enable semi-finished lenses with up to 65 per cent lesser volume compared to conventional ones. Over the past ten years, the ZEISS Group has halved energy and water consumption, relative to revenues, as well as waste; and ZEISS Vision Care contributes to these achievements.

_{*Correction 17.08.2021: In the first paragraph, the reference for the part of bio-based material has been added.}