Eastman’s ‘Acetate Renew’ to be Used By Luxury Eyewear Manufacturer

As reported one year ago, Eastman Chemical, Kingsport, Tenn., has been providing its Acetate Renew, a cellulose diacetate composed of 60% biobased and 40% certified recycled content to Italy’s Mazzucchelli 1849, a global leading cellulose acetate sheet manufacturer and distributor for premium eyewear.

Made through Eastman's carbon renewal chemical recycling technology, Acetate Renew reportedly offers virgin-material performance, incorporates significant amounts of certified recycled content from eyewear production scrap, and results in a significant reduction in greenhouse gases when compared to the traditional manufacturing process.

The two partners have now joined forces with Italian-based luxury eyewear manufacturer Thélios to push forward sustainable innovation in the eyewear industry. Said Thélios R&D director Carlo Roni, "Sustainability has become a business imperative. We have chosen to team up with the best in class players --Mazzucchelli for acetate transformation and Eastman for molecular recycling--to work jointly on the development of new sustainable materials, which we hope will drive change in our industry."

Thanks to its technologies, Mazzucchelli nowadays  processes a wide range of polymeric materials. Mazzucchelli products are aimed at markets ranging from spectacles, sunglasses and fashion accessories, to interior decoration and design objects, where the quality and aesthetical values are greatly appreciated. The products with technical qualities are valued by safety, sports and automotive industries.

The three entities, who are each committed to excellence in innovation in their respective fields, are working jointly on the release of acetate eyewear frames which will be significantly more sustainable than the current offer.

With the aim to limit the environmental impact of acetate frames to a minimum, the partners are jointly exploring a series of eco-responsible formulas, using certified recycled content and bio-sourced materials. Based on Eastman Acetate Renew, these new formulas will reportedly match both the technical and aesthetic qualities of traditional acetates, while being highly sustainable. The first collections composed of these innovative acetates are planned to be released by Thélios in 2022.