EYE FOCUS | COVER STORY
that may cause nickel allergies affect-
ing one per cent of men and 10 per
cent of women worldwide.
With approximately 1,000 workers,
the Longarone facility is the largest
of the four Safilo plants located in
Veneto, Friuli and Lombardy. This
state-of-the-art, end-to-end facility
primarily focuses on the production of
metal eyewear, covering the entire pro-
duction cycle, and is at the forefront of
technology.
Karun Pacific Collection
In light of this, Optical Prism is taking
a closer look at some of the eyewear
manufacturers who are trying to make
a difference by minimizing their car-
bon footprints.
SAFILO
Safilo, a worldwide leader in the
design, manufacturing and distribu-
tion of sunglasses, optical frames and
sports eyewear, has implemented a
series of sustainability, environmental
impact and safety initiatives at the
Longarone, Italy, facility.
This includes precious metal recycling,
industrial water reuse – thus also reduc-
ing water usage and wastewater pro-
duction – CO2 emission reduction and
the improvement of workers’ health
and safety indexes.
Safilo obtained the highest certifica-
tions in terms of quality, safety and
corporate social responsibility – the
most recent being the ISO 50001
6 EYE FOCUS December Digital 2019
energy management system certifica-
tion which is currently underway. This
was made possible thanks to various
factors, such as energy efficiency, the
use of sustainable, low-environmental
impact materials and the reduction of
carbon emissions, which are constant-
ly monitored by external parties on all
the production methods and technolo-
gies used.
Safilo has also introduced 100 per cent
nickel-free production processes at its
Longarone facility. These new methods
have already been tested and are cur-
rently in use across all the production
lines, from high-end to middle-segment
eyewear products.
“Developing nickel-free decorative
galvanic finishes was a top priority for
Safilo to ensure the safety of workers
and consumers alike,” says Fabio Rop-
poli, chief operations officer at Safilo.
Although glasses come in direct
contact with the skin only to a limited
extent, they are among the accessories
Starting this fall, all of Safilo’s globally
produced point-of-purchase market-
ing materials, namely counter cards
or show cards, will be FSC certified,
representing another significant step
towards environmental sustainability.
To this end, any new printed point of
purchase materials produced globally
or locally in individual countries, will
follow the same global directive.
KARUN
Nestled in the mountains of Patagonia,
Chile, Karün is unlike most other eye-
wear companies around the world.
"We inspire people to reflect over the
question: what would the world look
like if we understood that we are all na-
ture?” explains Karün brand manager
Dani Edwards.
“We do this by creating products
which are made by protecting nature,
learning from indigenous cultures and
empowering local communities.”
Karün has committed to making
high-quality sunglasses using only
natural, noble or recycled materials
and working alongside local commu-
nities in Patagonia.