As of 2020, we introduced Econyl® regenerated nylon into our eyewear collections. Econyl® is an innovative and sustainable material which is produced by regenerating recycled materials, thus helping to reduce environmental impact. Econyl® is obtained by regenerating synthetic (nylon) waste such as fishing nets, carpets and textiles. It has the same features as nylon from virgin sources or from oil, with no differences in quality or performance, and can be recycled, recreated and reshaped many times without losing its properties. Our aim is to expand the use of Econyl® regenerated nylon as much as possible by progressively introducing it into the collections of all the brands in our portfolio.

In 2021 Safilo announced the introduction of Eastman Acetate Renew and Eastman Tritan™ Renew in its sunglass and optical products. Both products are part of a broad portfolio of sustainable resins now offered at scale by Eastman, a global specialty materials provider and pioneer in molecular recycling. Eastman Tritan™ Renew is a high-performance copolyester made of 50% certified recycled content*. Crystal clear, durable and BPA-free, it offers sustainability without compromise, ensuring performance and safety. Safilo will be the first eyewear player to introduce this renewable material in its product offer. Eastman Acetate Renew is composed of 60% bio-based and 40% certified recycled content*. The resulting material is identical in performance to traditional acetate, meaning it can give the same premium “look and feel” to eyewear that wearers expect from traditional acetate. Safilo will debut Eastman Tritan™ Renew with its proprietary brand Polaroid in January 2022. The two innovative materials will be progressively rolled out across Safilo’s broad brand portfolio, both for sun and for optical frames. 

*The recycled content is achieved by allocating the recycled waste plastic to Eastman Renew materials using a mass balance process certified by ISCC.

In 2021 Safilo is building on its 20-year partnership with specialty chemicals world leader Evonik to use their newest high-quality material TROGAMID® myCX eCO for premium sun lenses. This innovative, transparent polyamide will enable Safilo to increase the sustainability of its products across its wide brand portfolio. Safilo will debut sun lenses made of TROGAMID® myCX eCO in January 2022 with the BOSS Spring Summer collection. This high-performance polymer will be progressively rolled out across Safilo’s portfolio, especially in its Made in Italy brands, further asserting the Company’s commitment to sustainability and its efforts to bring more recycled materials to the eyewear industry. TROGAMID® myCX eCO is a sustainable high-performance crystal-clear polymer made from 40% biomass and 100% renewable energy, which results in a 50 percent lower carbon footprint. It offers a transparency of more than 90%, outstanding mechanical properties, resistance to stress cracking and breakage, thus also ensuring long durability and high safety of premium sun lenses or high-quality visors for ski and snowboard goggles, as well as excellent wearing comfort due to its low weight. Safilo will be the first eyewear player to introduce this material – specially optimized for the optics industry – in one of its licensed brands.

We signed a strategic partnership with Coventya, a global player with more than ninety years of experience in the development of specialty chemicals for surface finishing treatments. Safilo will be the first player in the eyewear sector to exclusively use ‘Metal X’, a new innovative Coventya patent that allows the use of precious metals in galvanic treatments for the production of optical frames and sunglasses to be reduced by 90%.

Eliminating the use of nickel, a silver-white metal traditionally used in galvanic finishing treatments for eyewear, was an important milestone that confirms our commitment to finding innovative and environmentally friendly solutions that protect both the people who work with us and those who choose our eyewear, as well as the environment. Nickel-free treatments have been implemented across all production lines and comply with all our quality standards, often stricter than the current legislation requires.

The idea of contributing to the health of our planet and giving new life to plastic waste from the oceans is a reason to proudly wear our recycled plastic sunglasses made exclusively for The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch non-profit organisation set up to develop advanced technologies for removing plastic waste from the oceans. 100% of the proceeds go to the continuation of the clean-up mission.

The Ocean Cleanup products are made of injected plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) thanks to an innovative upcycling process that reuses heterogeneous plastics that are traditionally more difficult to recycle, turning them into safe, high-quality materials. A unique QR code inside the glasses explains more about the product and The Ocean Cleanup project. Each pair of sunglasses is estimated to enable cleaning an equivalent of 24 football fields worth of the GPGP and the entire limited edition will equate to approximately 500,000 football fields of clean-up in the GPGP.

An innovative collection for personal protection, to ensure safety and protect against the risk of COVID-19 infection. In response to the COVID-19 emergency, we have repurposed some of our production lines to develop two types of certified Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Polaroid Stay Safe 1, a wrap-around, transparent protective eyewear, and Polaroid Stay Safe 2, Polaroid’s first professional face shield designed for complete eye, nose and mouth protection. We donated thousand pairs of glasses and visors to hospitals in the areas most affected by the pandemic in Italy and abroad, supporting doctors, nurses and healthcare workers on the front line in the fight against the virus.

We carefully select our suppliers, assessing their environmental choices, to ensuring reliability and sustainability throughout our supply chain. Our Corporate Responsible Sourcing Supplier Manual allows us to manage responsibly our suppliers and business partners, ensuring that they comply with international standards and share our values. Through regular supplier audits, we also check their certifications and their ability to reduce environmental impact. Each audit assessed both social and environmental aspects for each supplier.