Working towards a circular economy
Waste plays no part in our vision of the future. So we’re taking steps to put an end to it following the 4Rs “Research-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle”
We aim to create circular products from the very start of the innovation process through our eco-design approach. For example, a proprietary Sustainability Assessment Methodology (SAM) has been deployed within Prescription Lenses R&D activities to integrate sustainability criteria into each stage of the development process for technologies and products. Circularity, resource and process efficiency along with low-impact raw materials and societal benefits form the main pillars of the program. We are working to enlarge the scope of this program to all products in the EssilorLuxottica portfolio with an aim to embed eco-design in all our developments by 2025.
We are researching and investing in breakthrough technologies and innovative renewable materials. For example, we developed and launched with Satisloh an innovative RX process for lens blocking called ART (Alloy Replacement Technology), completely eliminating the usage of alloy in our lens manufacturing and replacing it with a UV curable adhesive, an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional alloy blocking. There are close to 200 ART lines worldwide, and this new technology has been set as the new standard for all our new RX Labs. Even on frames, we have introduced three-injection moulding technology to enable a fast process, limit scrap generation and combined with a high bio-content material, enabling us to create new highly sustainable and quality designs for our frames.
We reduce and reuse our production waste. Emblematic of this is our ISCC Plus certified recycling center in Italy, which transforms our production plastic waste into new raw materials, used for example in the R-EA sustainable collection for Emporio Armani. Moreover our recent investment on acetate in Mazzucchelli 1849 expresses the intent of highly reducing the scrap generation, acting not only to recycle waste but going straight to the root cause.
A bio-based future
We are moving our focus away from fossil-based materials and towards renewable sources - which produce fewer emissions, biodegrade, and are easier to recycle.
We’re focusing particularly on bringing transparency and clarity to the whole supply chain by developing certified life-cycle assessments (LCAs) with our partners. We are working to develop an internal LCA tool to easily assess our materials and products and to make sure we are considering all different sustainability drivers. We’ve introduced bio-based materials into a range of types of products, enabling the launch of specific collections, from Arnette to Foster Grant and many others. It is this understanding of our impact at every level that enables us to never lose sight of what really matters.
Brands Helping us Achieve Circularity
Costa is a brand that was made on the water and creates sunglasses with a specific purpose: to protect the water environment and to inspire others to do the same. Every year, an estimated 640,000 tons of discarded fishing nets pollute oceans, so Costa joined forces with Bureo, an organization who works with fishermen to prevent discarded nets from polluting our oceans and harming marine life. Bureo has a 100% traceable supply chain from start to finish, which makes it possible to recycle the nets down into a raw material in the form of pellets that are molded into the frames for the Untangled Collection sunglasses.
Commitment to UN SDGs
We are committed to creating a better, more sustainable future for all. With the above, we are proud to be contributing to the below UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
