PADUA—Safilo Group announced that it is introducing Eastman Tenite Renew material in its sunglasses and prescription collections. This commitment makes Safilo the first eyeglass manufacturer to use all Eastman Renew materials in its portfolio, across all types of applications and production processes. Safilo and Eastman began their collaboration in March 2021 with the introduction of the Eastman Tritan Renew and Eastman Acetate Renew into the Polaroid Spring/Summer 2022 collection, as reported by VMAIL. Now, Safilo will introduce Eastman Tenite Renew in January 2023 in Levi’s collections; the material will then roll out across the Group’s broader portfolio. This collaboration is part of Safilo’s purpose-led strategy based on three sustainability pillars: planet, product, and people.

Vladimiro Baldin, chief licensed brand and global product officer of Safilo Group, said, “Our intention is to expand the use of sustainable materials as much as possible in order to progress in our sustainability journey. By being the first player in the eyewear industry using all Eastman Renew materials for this application—Acetate Renew, Tritan Renew and Tenite Renew—Safilo can provide our customer with a variety of differentiated options that meet their high standards for both design and sustainability. We are committed to leading the way in our approach to our products reducing the use of new resources and without compromising the aesthetic and performance of our frames and lenses, thereby continuing to offer the same level of impeccable quality.”
 
Glenn Goldman, commercial director, Eastman Specialty Plastics, said, “We are gratified to strengthen and extend our sustainability partnership with Safilo through the adoption of Tenite Renew. It’s rewarding to see our materials used to make eyewear more sustainable, and we look forward to continuing to work with Safilo to bring sustainable materials and solutions to additional brands in their portfolio.”
 
Tenite Renew is part of a broad range of sustainable materials now offered at scale by Eastman. Produced via Eastman’s carbon renewal technology, using hard to recycle plastic waste in the place of fossil fuel, Tenite Renew is composed of minimum 42 percent bio-based content and minimum 20 percent recycled content. This recycled content is achieved by allocating the recycled waste plastic to Eastman Renew materials using a mass balance process certified by ISCC. The resulting material offers the same premium feel and comfort of acetate with the additional fit adjustability that opticians need to create personalized eyewear fit.