Our commitment to the planet

Contributing to protecting our future

Energy

Thanks to continuous investment in projects and solutions with a low environmental footprint, we are contributing to reducing the environmental impact of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

  • In 2018, we completed the installation of the first rooftop solar installation at Safilo’s production facility in Suzhou (China). In 2020, the system saved 6,929 GJ of electricity, which helped us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 1,201 tonnes.

  • In 2019, we implemented several energy-saving projects at our headquarters in Padua (revised lighting system, new air conditioning systems and other measures).

  • In 2020, we reduced energy consumption by 14.4%, saving 15.9% in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2019.

  • In December 2020, we obtained certification for our effective energy management system and improvements in energy performance, in compliance with the ISO 50001:2018 standard, at all the Group’s Italian sites.

Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions

> 286.000Gigajoules of energy consumed in 2020 (-14.4% compared to 2019)
> 26.000tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 (-15.9% compared to 2019)

Water

Promoting responsible use of water resources.

  • In 2019, we completed the installation of a new water purification system at our Italian facility in Longarone, which led to a significant reduction in water withdrawals from the supply network, thanks to more than 90% recycling and reuse of water.

  • Since 2019, we have implemented maintenance, monitoring and control activities at our Italian plants in Santa Maria di Sala and Bergamo with the aim of optimising water supply sources and making withdrawals more efficient.

  • In 2020 overall water withdrawals were 15% lower compared to 2019; this equals the volume of eight Olympic swimming pools.

Materials

We put innovation and creativity at the service of environmentally sustainable solutions. One example is the launch in 2020 of the first eyewear collections made of Econyl® regenerated nylon, a plastic material with a low environmental impact as it is obtained by regenerating fishing nets, carpets and fabrics.

From 2022, we will also introduce Eastman’s Acetate Renew and Tritan™ Renew into our sun and optical eyewear collections. These are two innovative polymers with the same technical and aesthetic qualities as traditional materials, but with the added benefit of environmental sustainability.

Since 2019, a part of show cards supplied by Safilo are FSC® - C185180. The FSC (the Forest Stewardship Council) is an independent non-profit organization which safeguards forests for future generations. During 2022, Safilo obtained an FSC® certification to market cases and promotional items made from materials sourced from responsibly managed forests in accordance with environmental, ethical and economic principles. The FSC® Chain of Custody certification provides a guarantee that products sold with an FSC declaration come from wellmanaged forests, controlled sources or reclaimed materials. Safilo is working with its vendors to identify additional opportunities in this space.

Special project: The Ocean Cleanup

This special collection of sunglasses, designed exclusively by Safilo for the non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup, is created by giving new life to plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the huge floating plastic mass accumulating in the Pacific Ocean.

Special project: The Ocean Cleanup

This special collection of sunglasses, designed exclusively by Safilo for the non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup, is created by giving new life to plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the huge floating plastic mass accumulating in the Pacific Ocean.

Our partnership with Safilo proved crucial in transforming the plastic we removed from the ocean into a useful, durable products: these beautiful sunglasses. The proceeds from this product will help fund our mission, and we hope that these glasses serve as another way to increase global awareness of the urgent need to of remove plastic waste from our oceans’

Boyan Slat, Founder & CEO of the "The Ocean Cleanup"

Mobility

Sustainable mobility contributes to a significant reduction in pollutants, resulting in improved air quality. After introducing electric vehicles into our company fleet (2016), we are now switching to hybrid vehicles (Lexus and Toyota).

Waste

With a view to transition to a circular economy, Safilo is committed to simplifying and eliminating waste. Examples of selected focus areas are warehousing, returns, model simplification, lean production and logistics flow management, as well as aiming for a healthy balance between digitalisation and the need for prototypes and product samples.