Eastman

KINGSPORT, Tenn., and ZURICH, Switzerland,  April 23, 2024 /CSRwire/ - Eastman, a global specialty materials company, and Swiss Eyewear Group (SEG), a leading eyewear manufacturer, announce their partnership to celebrate the 10th anniversary of SEG’s INVU eyewear collection. The innovative eyewear collection features Eastman Tritan™ Renew in all the frames. The collection also offers a selection of polarized lenses that will elevate your style and protect your eyes with unparalleled clarity. 

INVU by SEG has established itself as a true industry leader, constantly pushing the boundaries of frame and lens materials while ensuring affordability for global consumers. By partnering with Eastman, SEG is taking a giant leap toward its commitment to offer enhanced sustainability for a premium consumer experience with clear conscience. Eastman and SEG are revolutionizing the world of eyewear fashion, ensuring that looking good and feeling good go hand in hand. 

"We are delighted to work with Eastman to ensure that fast-moving, affordable fashion and environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive,” said Jerry Dreifuss, CEO of SEG. “With the launch of this new sustainable collection, INVU continues to deliver on its promise to offer cutting-edge eyewear while prioritizing sustainability." 

SEG chose Tritan Renew as a unique material that combines exceptional, environmentally responsible qualities without imposing manufacturing restrictions. Tritan Renew, which is made with 50% certified recycled content* derived from hard-to-recycle waste, performs like virgin-quality material. 

“It is the first sustainable material that offers state-of-the-art optical properties while allowing freedom in design, lens selection and coloring,” Dreifuss said. 

With this 10^th anniversary INVU partnership, Eastman and SEG are on a mission to make a real difference. The companies are passionate about promoting sustainability and driving positive change in the industry. The choice of Tritan Renew reinforces the industry's recognition of Eastman Renew material solutions as the ideal responsible materials for frames and superior polarized sun lenses with a compelling sustainability story.

"Eastman is glad to collaborate with Swiss Eyewear Group, a global leader in fashion eyewear known for its commitment to innovation and quality,” said Rachel Oakley, eyewear segment leader for Eastman’s plastics division. “We are proud SEG has chosen Tritan Renew as they embark on a more sustainable eyewear journey. By joining our partners utilizing the wide capabilities of molecular recycling technologies, SEG ensures that Tritan Renew remains a reliable and environmentally responsible choice accessible to the greatest number of eyewear consumers." 

Eastman is set to open the world’s largest material-to-material molecular recycling facility in Kingsport, Tennessee. The facility has the capacity to recycle approximately 110,000 metric tonnes (MT) of plastics annually. The launch of this plant furthers Eastman’s ability to reach its goal of recycling 225,000 MT of plastic waste annually by 2030. 

*Recycled content certified by ISCC using mass balance allocation. 

About INVU and Swiss Eyewear Group

Swiss Eyewear Group was founded in 2013 based on the principle that high quality eyewear should be affordable for everyone. Fancy sunglass brands demand huge royalties to finance their even fancier advertising campaigns. INVU uses a different approach by investing in lens technology and material innovations to ensure that customers can enjoy the latest optical industry advances at a fair price.

Swiss Eyewear Group is the first-ever global Swiss eyewear company with headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland.

INVU Eyewear are distributed in over 90 countries around the globe.

Eastman

Eastman

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive and diverse company, Eastman employs approximately 14,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2023 revenue of approximately $9.2 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA.

About Eastman in the circular economy: In 2019, Eastman became the first company to begin commercial-scale chemical recycling for a broad set of waste plastics that would otherwise be landfilled or, worse, wind up in the environment. Eastman's molecular recycling technologies can process waste plastics traditional mechanical recycling methods cannot—including polyesters, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene—derived from a variety of sources, including single-use plastics, textiles, and carpet. These technologies provide a true circular solution of endless recycling for materials, allowing them to be reused repeatedly.

To learn more about how we’re working to make a more circular economy visit eastman.eco.

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