By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, January 30, 2025 8:30 AM
MILAN, Italy—
Mido, which is scheduled to take place here February 8 through 10, 2025, has released the lineup for The Vision Stage, its area dedicated to workshops, seminars, conferences, events and roundtable. The space was formerly known as The Otticlub, and has been reimagined this year, organizers
said, which “signifies a new phase of evolution and growth, and marks a pivotal shift in positioning, intended to reflect the expansion of its activities and to emphasize the core essence of this space as a place of dialog and discovery.”
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, December 26, 2024 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—As 2024 winds down and we head full force into the new year, many people are using this time to take stock of the days both behind and ahead so that they can craft goals, resolutions and plans for 2025. With a fresh 365 days before us, these last few days of the year provide a wonderful opportunity to really think about what we want to bring with us into the new year—which makes this the perfect time to think about environmental, sustainable resolutions. This week, let’s take a look at some commitments we can make to ourselves and the world around us moving forward.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, December 12, 2024 8:30 AM
WAIMEA BAY, Hawaii—
Costa Sunglasses, from EssilorLuxottica, has partnered with
The EDDIE Big Wave Invitational, a surf contest and celebration of Hawaiian culture, big wave athletes and the memory of Eddie Aikau. The event kicked off on December 6 in Waimea Bay, North Shore, Hawaii; it is a three-month event that will conclude in March 2025. Costa is the official eyewear of The EDDIE, and will provide eyewear to all competitors, lifeguards and watermen. Costa Pro and big wave athlete Mark Healey is an invitee at this year’s EDDIE; a full list of invitees is available on The EDDIE’s
website.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Tuesday, November 26, 2024 9:30 AM
NORWALK, Conn.—
Vision Expo recently opened submissions for its
NOW Trend Showcase and Awards at Vision Expo East 2025 in Orlando, Fla. This edition of NOW includes four new themes that aim to showcase the latest in design, innovation and sustainability. Show organizers said a record number of products have been submitted to date; submissions are free and due by December 15, 2024, for Vision Expo East exhibiting eyewear brands. Shipment of product samples must be received no later than January 10, 2025, to be considered.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—This Friday, November 15, is America Recycles Day, a day dedicated to increasing education about recycling and how it helps reduce waste, save energy and conserve resources. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s
National Recycling Goal is to increase the U.S. recycling rate to 50 percent by 2030—something we can all get involved in every day, and double down on today. Last year, in recognition of America Recycles Day, the EPA wrote, “The recycling efforts of communities and business throughout the United States help with this success and growth."
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, October 31, 2024 8:30 AM
PARIS—In 2024,
Silmo presented its
Responsible Company Prize to two eyewear companies: Skans and Vanni. The prize is open to all Silmo exhibitors and aims to bring visibility to companies that are involved in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) while inspiring other companies and raising awareness. Judged by an independent panel of optical professionals, a designer and CSR experts (including journalists and Hysspo consultants), the prize takes three main areas into account.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, October 16, 2024 8:30 AM
MUNICH—Ahead of the 2025 show in Munich, Germany, opti organizers have announced two
sustainability awards: the second edition of the opti Sustainability Award and the new opti Sustainability Youngster Award. Each award is earmarked with €3,700 in prize money. “With two opti Sustainability Awards, opti is picking up on important industry developments and is now also promoting the next generation and their creative, unconventional ideas as a source of inspiration,” said Cathleen Kabashi, opti’s exhibition director.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, September 26, 2024 8:30 AM
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania—
Waste Free Oceans (WFO) and
Eco Eyewear have teamed up to launch a waste-catching barrier in the Feza River, a river located in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam. Alongside local partner The Recyclers, the two companies installed a barrier that will capture plastic waste that would otherwise end up in the Indian Ocean. This captured waste will then be collected, recycled and repurposed, with some of it being transformed into eco-friendly products.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 8:30 AM
LONGARONE and MILAN, Italy—
Marcolin has joined the
United Nations Global Compact, a global pact launched in 2000 with the aim of mobilizing businesses to align their strategies and operations with the UN’s Ten Universal Principles on human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption. The pact also aims at achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Marcolin joins more than 20,000 other companies and 2,500 non-business signatories from 167 countries around the world, including more than 500 in Italy, where Marcolin is based.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, August 28, 2024 8:30 AM
AMSTERDAM and NEW YORK—For entrepreneurs establishing new eyewear companies in today’s landscape, there’s no question that sustainability is a non-negotiable. Thankfully, there are almost infinite ways to approach sustainability in eyewear design and production—and for
EveryWear Eyewear, located in the Netherlands, collaborating with
Tech Print Industries (TPI) was the perfect solution. Ruben van Bodegom and Alain Schutter founded EveryWear Eyewear in 2020, with the goal of combining “their love of adventure with sustainability,” according to the
brand.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, August 15, 2024 8:30 AM
TURIN, Italy—Italian eyewear company
Vanni presented its second Impact Report this June, which details the projects the company completed in 2023, particularly in relation to the objectives laid out in its 2022 Società Benefit. In 2023, Vanni
stated it was “particularly committed to sustainability,” and one of the focuses of the year was conducting a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of its products. According to Vanni, the LCA is “an analytical and systematic methodology for the assessment of the environmental impacts of a product—or the amount of CO2 released—throughout its life cycle: from the extraction of raw materials all the way to its disposal.”
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 8:30 AM
PENNSAUKEN, N.J.—This week,
Windsor Eyes, Inc. announced an exclusive partnership to distribute
Mita Sustainable Eyewear to U.S. based eyecare professionals. All Mita products are made from recycled water bottles, recycled aluminum and sustainable lenses, and the company has been B Corp Certified since January 2024. Mita’s commitment to sustainable materials goes beyond just frames, too. Packaging is also produced with recycled materials: one cleaning cloth is produced from one water bottle; one frame case is produced from two water bottles; one soft pouch is produced from two water bottles; and one frame is produced from five water bottles, according to the company.
By Staff
Thursday, July 18, 2024 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—Earlier this month,
Review of Ophthalmology shared an in-depth look at how pharmaceutical companies, surgeons and ophthalmology professionals are working toward a more sustainable industry. As Andrew Beers, associate editor,
writes, “Government and non-profit organizations have warned about the role the health care system plays in climate change. In 2020, the U.S. health care system attributed to 8.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions nationally, rising approximately 6 percent between 2010 and 2018. This was and continues to be impacted by hospital care, physician and clinical services and prescription drug usage in America. A large contingent of physicians and companies are calling for sustainability efforts to be enacted to ensure the health and well-being of patients, especially in ophthalmology."
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, June 27, 2024 8:30 AM
SAN RAMON, Calif.—
CooperVision announced in June that its manufacturing facility in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico, received top honors at the 15th annual Puerto Rico Sustainability Best Practices, Health and Safety Summit. The Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association (PRMA) recognized the site with six awards for its programs and practices relating to its sustainability, and occupational health and safety commitments, according to the announcement. The company was given the Platinum Recycling Award, which is presented to an organization that exemplifies best practice standards in alternate energy and sustainability by achieving greater than 90 percent recycling rates, as
reported in
VMAIL.