A sustainable transparent bio-polyamide optimised specifically for the optical industry and introduced by Evonik Industries in March has now been selected for the first time for application by a major eyewear producer. Safilo Group, a leading Italian global eyewear design, manufacturing, and distribution company, will become the first to introduce Trogamid myCX eCO in the licensed market for premium lenses for sunglasses.
The two companies are long-term partners, having cooperated now for some 20 years. According to Vladimiro Baldin, Chief Licensed Brand and Global Product Officer at Safilo Group, sustainability is an integral part of the company’s business philosophy.
“This innovative transparent polyamide will enable Safilo to increase the sustainability of its products across its broad portfolio of brands,” he said.
Safilo plans to launch the first eyeglass lenses made from Trogamid myCX eCO in January 2022 in its BOSS Spring Summer 22 collection. The material will then be gradually incorporated into its broad brand portfolio, and especially in its Made in Italy brands.
This newest member of the Trogamid family of transparent polyamides is produced partly from a bio-based monomer and entirely with renewable energy, which, says Evonik, reduces its carbon footprint by 50 percent. A high-purity microcrystalline high-performance polyamide targeted at the optics industry, its properties ‘differ in nothing from those of the Trogamid myCX they already use’, said Viviane Papa, who is responsible for Evonik’s high-performance polyamides granules and compounds business.
The name eCO stands for ‘eliminate CO2’. This is achieved in the first place by replacing a petrochemical-based raw material by biomass, using the mass balance approach, which yields a proportion of 40 percent biobased raw material in the polymer. Secondly, only renewable energy is used in the production of the granules. As a result, the carbon balance is half of that of the fossil-based product, a claim confirmed and certified by TÜV Rheinland. The analysis was prepared in accordance with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 and included the Cradle to Gate stage.
The material itself offers transparency of more than 90 percent, excellent mechanical properties, stress crack resistance, and fracture strength.
"We are working in many areas to make our products sustainable, but their quality must not suffer in the process. Premium lenses or high-quality visors for ski and snowboard goggles made of Trogamid myCX eCO stand for long durability and high safety, as well as excellent wearing comfort due to the low material weight,” said Papa.
Trogamid myCX eCO will also be the topic of a presentation by Florian Hermes at the Mido Digital Edition, June 7 at 1 p.m.