HIGHLIGHTS
KERING EYEWEAR
A step towards a sustainable future
In a category first, Kering Eyewear has launched an inclusive data exchange platform to measure the overall impact of its value chain, in line with the company’s ambitious environmental and sustainability goals.
The V.I.R.T.U.S. project, which stands for ‘verified, integrated, reliable, trustworthy, unique and secure’, is a data exchange platform built on blockchain technology. It enables transparent assessment and traceability across all operations in the company’s manufacturing processes.
The blockchain-based platform is a centralised ledger that allows all parties to participate in Kering Eyewear’s product-specific database without any intervention from intermediaries. All data uploaded follows each product’s path directly from its origins and looks at raw material provenance, processing components, final assembly and related certifications.
All Kering Eyewear’s partners will be called to directly record their activities on the digital platform, which will then verify whether each link in the supply chain adheres to its environmental, social and ethical goals. The project was initially launched with five partners and has evolved to include 16 global suppliers. It will be rolled out to include Kering Eyewear’s entire supply chain starting next year, including Certottica, the Italian Institute of Certification of Optical Products.
Introducing Zeiss Sunlens
In 2021, long-time partners Kering Eyewear and eyewear manufacturer Zeiss Sunlens developed new eco-friendly sun lenses made with bio-based materials. The sustainable lenses complement Kering Eyewear’s existing range of sustainable optical frames and create a significantly-reduced carbon footprint compared to traditional lenses.
The lenses have been certified by European Commission accredited certification system REDCert for notable improvements throughout the value chain. The lenses were gradually introduced across Kering Eyewear’s brands last autumn.
Zeiss Vision Care, parent company of Zeiss Sunlens, has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2025, a goal which resonates with Kering Eyewear’s own sustainable philosophy. Kering Group’s sustainability roadmap is built on three pillars, Care, Collaborate and Create, which reaffirm sustainability as a driver for innovation and value creation.
Blue & Beyond is born
Kering Eyewear launched the Blue & Beyond range in 2020, when the world was deep in the throes of the pandemic.
As more and more people stayed at home with their eyes glued to various screens, Kering Eyewear embraced innovation to offer an innovative new line of of blue light and photochromic UV protection glasses called Blue & Beyond.
The luxury eyewear house partnered with China Duty Free Group to exclusively launch the optical collection in key Hainan locations through 2021.
The Blue & Beyond project combines high-end luxury frames with dual-innovation lenses that were specifically developed to relieve eyestrain caused by overexposure to both indoor and outdoor light.
The smart lenses feature blue light-filtering treatment and photochromic technology which reduce the impact of high-energy bulbs from laptops and digital devices and also protects eyes from sunlight exposure. In 2022, the Blue & Beyond project was extended to include both Chloe and Dunhill brands.
“As a category market leader, Kering Eyewear is committed to providing a consumer-centric shopping experience”
OMAR HAGI
