PADUA, Italy—Safilo Group has announced a strategic partnership with Coventya, a global company with more than 90 years of experience in the development of specialty chemicals for surface finishing treatments, on the use of “Metal X,” a new material for eyewear. Safilo will be the first in the eyewear sector to use Metal X, which is an innovative Coventya patent that allows the use of precious metals in galvanic treatments for the production of optical frames and sunglasses to be reduced by 90 percent.

Safilo will introduce Metal X in its Longarone plant. It will allow the company to significantly reduce the use and consumption of palladium, an extremely precious and rare metal. The use of Metal X will also help contribute to reducing the exploitation of the ground for the sourcing of precious metals, leading to a lower production impact in terms of environmental sustainability. Safilo will use Metal X in its eyewear collections produced in Italy starting with the August 2021 release.

In an announcment, Safilo stated that its use of Metal X represents a further step forward in its sustainable production processes, initiated in recent years with the introduction of nickel-free galvanic treatments. Safilo Group has eliminated the use of nickel while guaranteeing higher standards of product excellence, due to new technologies.

Fabio Roppoli, chief product supply officer, Safilo Group, said, “The partnership with Coventya is particularly strategic for Safilo as it allows us to be the first to introduce a new and effective sustainable solution in our eyewear production processes. By eliminating palladium in favor of Metal X, we take a further step forward in our business strategies focused on sustainability and we are sure that this innovation will be appreciated by our customers and consumers, who are increasingly concerned about these issues.”

Coline Nelias, Coventya international product manager, said, “It was particularly significant for us to be able to create a material that offered the same qualitative and technical properties as palladium and could be used in replacement of natural precious metals. Thanks to this collaboration, our patent has been introduced in the galvanic baths of Longarone effectively and with high-quality standards.”