Jillian Urcelay: How would you describe styles in Under Armour’s latest release?
Alessandro Bellati: For fall 2022, we focused on launching the brand’s first ever sustainable eyewear collection. The Under Armour six-piece collection includes two male optical styles, one unisex optical and one female optical as well as one male sunglass and one unisex sunglass. Made from Tritan Renew, a special BPA-free plastic, the material lends itself well to sportier frames as it is lightweight and it features exceptional transparency and mechanical resilience characteristics so it will continue to be utilized in future product releases. The launch collection focuses on core shapes, colors and sizes while also maintaining Under Armour’s performance DNA with rubber non-slip details on nose pads and temple tips. These new sustainable styles are all part of our “Versatile” product cluster that enhances everyday life from training, to game day, to life beyond the locker room.
How are frames in this collection created sustainably?
Each of the optical or sunwear styles offered in our new Under Armour sustainable collection are manufactured with Tritan Renew, a sustainable copolyester developed by Eastman, made with up to 50 percent certified recycled content. We also use Tritan TR18 lenses, which are BPA-free and impact resistant, on all our new sustainable sun styles bringing to the market a novel “single material” approach which is unprecedented in the sport eyewear segment.
Tritan Renew’s unique process breaks down single-use waste plastic into basic chemical building blocks. Without compromising function or aesthetics, the technology allows plastic materials to be safely transformed and recycled again and again to make durable, high-performance materials while reducing the amount of plastic going into the waste stream. The process offsets the use of fossil fuels and lowers greenhouse gas emissions.
Why is it important for Safilo to continue on the path of using sustainable materials and resources?
Sustainability is at the core of all our business strategies and guides our many corporate projects and initiatives which are aimed at contributing to the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Safilo’s purpose-led strategy is based on three sustainability pillars: planet, product and people, and it represents the Group’s commitment to developing projects and initiatives that address the global challenges of tomorrow. A sustainable business for us not only creates high-quality products, but also delivers value that lasts over time, benefits people, customers, employees, and all stakeholders, and, at the same time, contributes to protect the planet’s resources. We invest in innovation to continually ensure the greatest quality while, at the same time, and at each production stage, reducing the impact on the environment and using ever more sustainable materials and processing techniques.
