Image © GHM

  
MUNICH—Organizers of the opti trade show, scheduled for January 12 to 14, 2024 in Munich, are forecasting 400 exhibitors on the show's 44,000 square meters of exhibition space, which will also include four halls. With space for innovation, start-ups, trends, sustainability and promoting young talent, this year’s show will also include special hubs: the Myopia Hub, the Sustainability Hub and the brand new Trend Hub. The opti Sustainability Hub, supported by Focus, will be located in Hall C4.

This hub will offer lectures and discussion panels on the topics of ecology, economy and social issues. The sustainability hub was first launched in 2022; this year, the space will offer a number of presentations in both German and English. Its presence cements sustainability as a central theme of opti 2024. The full schedule for the Sustainability Hub is available online here.

The first-ever opti Sustainability Award will also honor outstanding initiatives in the field of sustainability; this is a further development of the goals of the Sustainability Interest Group (IG), which forms the jury for the award. The IG is an association of experts from manufacturers and opticians who have been committed to greater sustainability within the industry since opti 2022.

 
 
In an official statement, the jury members said, “We are delighted to see the three selected finalists pitching for the first award at opti 2024. This year's popularity shows how much this topic moves our industry and how intensively optical companies are already working on solutions. Every idea submitted is a win—for everyone—and for the industry itself.”

The award ceremony is scheduled for Friday, January 12, at 3:00 p.m. The award is an earmarked honorary prize of €5,000.

President of the Central Association of Opticians and Optometrists (Zentralverband der Augenoptiker und Optometristen, ZVA), Christian Müller, said, “Every single contribution to a better eco-balance in ophthalmic optics counts. The more participants, the more effectively the positive results will be felt in the industry. For opti and for ophthalmic optics, the Sustainability Award is above all a question of attitude in the awareness of our social co-responsibility.”