Kering Eyewear and Zeiss Sunlens have reached an important milestone in the development of their sun lenses, improving the carbon footprint of manufacturing to ensure they are more eco-friendly.

 

The newly developed sun lenses are now part-made from bio-based material, complementing Kering Eyewear’s sustainable frames and providing consumers with a ‘valid option for sustainable sunglasses’, said the two companies.

 

The new process 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”, said Dr Matthias Metz, President and CEO of Zeiss Vision Care.

 

CARBON DIOXIDE NEUTRAL BY 2025

“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 said its 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’.

 

“Kering Eyewear demonstrates its engagement on sustainability issues every day, making this topic its top priority,” said Roberto Vedovotto, President and CEO of Kering Eyewear.

 

“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.”

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

 

“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” said 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,” added 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.”