CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France—For the fourth year in a row, Essilor has been listed to Forbes magazine's world's most innovative companies. Essilor is France's third most innovative company, just behind Hermès (13th) and Iliad (29th), according to Forbes.

Essilor invests more than €150 million per year in research and innovation. Products launched less than four years ago account for 40 percent of Essilor's sales and more than 100 patents in 2013. On a global level, Essilor ranks 49th out of 100 companies in the Forbes ranking, a list that also includes companies such as Unilever, Amazon and Netflix.

“As the population is aging, as vision-related problems (such as myopia) become more widespread and as blue light emitted by LCD screens and LED bulbs becomes omnipresent, innovation in the ophthalmic optics sector is more than ever essential,” explained John Carrier, COO of the Essilor Group and head of its innovation related activities. "Ophthalmic lens companies and organizations must continue developing correction, protection and prevention solutions to answer people’s visual health needs. By ranking us among the world's most innovative companies for the fourth year in a row, Forbes magazine is paying tribute to the work carried out by 50,000 employees across the Essilor Group who daily live out our company mission of improving lives by improving sight.”

As part of its innovation-centered strategy, Essilor has joined forces with a wide network of international partners. Among these are universities, manufacturers and cutting-edge technology specialists, such as the Vision Institute in France and the Nikon-Essilor International Joint Research.

Forbes’ "World's Most Innovative Companies" list identifies companies at the cutting edge of technological progress, those which stand the greatest chance of being successful – both today and in the future. The list ranks companies based on their innovation premium: the difference between their market capitalization and the net value of cash flows for existing business. The complete list is available online.