Our latest product with a reduced carbon footprint
ZEISS Sunlens polyamide
A strong awareness of the environment is what motivated ZEISS Sunlens to develop a sustainable certified polyamide plano sun lenses through the improvement of the production facilities and the use of renewable resources. The result is a product with a reduced carbon dioxide emissions - an improvement that is certified throughout the value chain by independent organisations.
Production process to reduce the carbon footprint
Two main renewable factors contribute to the CO2 reduction of the manufactured lens:
- The use of a mass balanced bio-based material
- The purchase of renewable electricity
In the lens production process, 39% bio-based raw materials (from the waste produced by the agricultural industry) partially substitute the fossil-based material throughout the value chain and 100% of renewable electricity is used.
The carbon footprint of this lens has been reduced by 50% compared to a fully fossil-based manufacturing process.*
*The statement refers to a cradle-to-gate system embodying all upstream activities and including all processes at the Italian production site related to the manufacturing of the polyamide lens/shield/goggle. Global warming effect from end-of-life (lens disposal) is not included in the evaluation. With reference to the sustainable polyamide lenses manufactured in the Italian production plant, ISO14067:2018 GHG emissions calculation rules have been applied making use of the most recent and available data (from October 2020 to September 2021) for the Life Cycle Inventory phase (collection of process inputs and outputs data) that include effects in the value chain of biogenic carbon sequestration.
Our contribution to the planet
International certification proves how committed to, and serious ZEISS is about the environment.
ZEISS Sunlens was very meticulous and wanted the entire production chain to be certified to REDcert² standards (scheme principles for the certification of sustainable material flows for the chemical industry). The mass balanced product offers a sustainable polyamide lens with verified use of bio-based material and emissions reduction.
To manage the bio-based material, ZEISS Sunlens uses mass balance, where bio-based materials and standard fossil-based materials are handled through the same production instead of being separated.
The mass balance process means that bio-based materials and standard fossil-based materials are used in the same production process instead of being separated in two different production plants. The usage of bio-based material is accounted for and balanced through a system of verification and certification.
Key numbers
Mass balance approach applied to the whole value chain
From the raw material to the finished lens there are many manufacturing steps and many resources are used. Now the whole chain is certified according to REDcert2 standard, to offer a truly sustainable polyamide lens. This is one of the few European sustainability certification systems that can verify all stages.
REDcert² utilizes the mass balance approach: this accounting method ensures that the sustainable bio-based raw materials are blended in upstream facilities with fossil-based raw materials. They are then allocated downstream exclusively to the production of plano sun lenses following the principle of verified volumes in every step of the value chain.
Sustainability at ZEISS
As a company owned by a foundation, sustainability and business success are inextricably linked at ZEISS. Sustainable value added is an integral component of the company's business activity, which focuses on innovative solutions that contribute to positive development in society and enable long-term, profitable growth.