FGX International, designer and marketer of optical frames, sunglasses and nonprescription reading glasses, said it tapped Eastman, a global specialty materials company, to take on sustainable eyewear fitted for mass market eyewear fashion.
Proving that eyewear, too, can be sustainable, FGX International adopted Eastman’s Tritan Renew copolyester in January of this year and will roll it out across its entire portfolio, according to the brand. Tritan Renew, a high-performance copolyester made with 50 percent certified recycled content, derived from Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies.
Its clear, durable, BPA-free product offers a sustainable solution for brands seeking alternatives to traditional materials used in injection-molded eyewear frames, beginning with frames from its Foster Grant collection and eventual expansion to other FGX brands.
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Sal Mauceri, president, sun and readers division at EssilorLuxottica, said, “FGX International is a leader in the eyewear marketplace and, as such, we are committed to continuously drive innovation in all that we do while searching out materials that are better for the planet.” Mauceri added that “not only offers a superior look and feel compared to polycarbonate frames but, with 50 percent certified recycled content, also provides the sustainable solution consumers demand and deserve.”
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The brand explained that Eastman manufactures Tritan Renew through its material-to-material molecular recycling technologies that produce high-performance materials from plastic waste diverted from landfills. Its recycling technologies “complement traditional recycling approaches and expand the types and amounts of plastic that can be recycled,” they said, which gives materials “an extended, useful life and diverts plastic waste from landfills, incinerators and the environment while reducing consumption of fossil feedstocks and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.”
Eastman’s portfolio of sustainable materials offers high levels of certified recycled content for premium and mass market eyewear, inclusive of Eastman Acetate Renew, Tenite Renew and Tritan Renew, to provide sustainable solutions for frames, temples and lenses powered by revolutionary molecular recycling technologies, the company noted.
Glenn Goldman, commercial director of specialty plastics at Eastman, said, “Given FGX’s prominence in the industry, we are proud to partner with them to bring sustainable and affordable frames derived from Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies to the eyewear mass market.
“Sustainability matters for all consumers and at all price points — and we’re excited to work with FGX to make sustainable eyewear choices available to everyone.”
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