Lapo Srl, a global leader in eyewear lenses manufacturing, and Trinseo, a specialty and sustainable material provider, today announced their collaboration to develop demonstration lenses made of recycled polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resins with a minimum of 86% recycled content.
“As a lens manufacturer for high-end eyewear, we are joining the sustainability journey with our customers and end-users,” said Luigi De Donà, owner of Lapo. “This inspiring partnership with Trinseo paves the way for more sustainable solutions to come to life.”
“We are honored to partner with Lapo and encouraged to see more of our recycled materials becoming part of daily life,” said Aldo Zanetti, Global Sustainability Business Development Leader for Engineered Materials at Trinseo.
Typical material for lenses
PMMA, also known as acrylic, is typically used for making lenses due to its high transparency for optical performance, lightweight and hardness. PMMA is the polymer obtained after polymerizing the methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer. For this project, Lapo tested and approved Trinseo’s ALTUGLAS™ R-LIFE V046 CR88, which is an acrylic resin made with at least 86% recycled content.
Incorporating recycled content into the material
Trinseo uses its next generation depolymerization technology to produce recycled MMA. Depolymerization is a type of chemical recycling in which end-of-life PMMA is transformed back into MMA. With its capabilities in waste collection, the recent addition of its new cutting-edge depolymerization demonstration plant in Rho, Italy, and years of expertise in plastic resin manufacturing, Trinseo is able to handle end-of-life PMMA collection, turning it back into high-quality recycled PMMA resins through advanced recycling and manufacturing technology.
Difference between recycled and virgin PMMA
Trinseo’s recycled PMMA meets the mechanical, thermal, processing, scratch, chemical resistance, and demanding optical performance necessary for Lapo’s lenses. Made with 86% recycled MMA, Trinseo’s recycled content-containing PMMA achieves a 27%* reduction in product carbon footprint compared to virgin PMMA.
*Trinseo’s internal calculations adhere to the Product Carbon Footprint standard ISO 14067:2018. Please contact us for more details.
About Lapo Srl
Based in Italy, Lapo has been supplying lenses to the world’s leading eyewear brands for over five decades. It produces more than 40 million demonstration lenses per year with over 40 different diameters and thicknesses.
About Trinseo
Trinseo (NYSE: TSE), a specialty material solutions provider, partners with companies to bring ideas to life in an imaginative, smart and sustainably focused manner by combining its premier expertise, forward-looking innovations and best-in-class materials to unlock value for companies and consumers.
