Companies sign LOI to allow the global designer and marketer of eyewear to dramatically increase production of sustainable eyewear made from Tritan Renew

KINGSPORT, Tenn., and SMITHFIELD, R.I.

Eastman, a global specialty materials company, and FGX International, an EssilorLuxottica company, have signed a letter of intent (LOI) for FGX to reserve a significant volume of Eastman Tritan Renew copolyester manufactured at Eastman’s new methanolysis plant, which will be operational this year. The LOI builds on FGX’s introduction in January 2022 of frames made from Tritan Renew, a high-performance copolyester made with 50% recycled content.*

Located in Kingsport, Eastman’s new facility will produce material — including Tritan Renew — using polyester renewal technology, one of Eastman’s innovative molecular recycling technologies. The technology breaks down hard-to-recycle material to their fundamental building blocks and produces new material with high levels of recycled content and no compromise on quality. When operational, the plant will use up to 100,000 metric tons of plastic waste as feedstock and be the world’s largest material-to-material molecular recycling facility.

“We are seeing rapid adoption of frames made with Tritan Renew from retailers and consumers due to the unique combination of sustainability and performance,” said Salvatore Mauceri, President, sun and readers division, EssilorLuxottica. “We are excited to secure enough material from Eastman’s new plant to significantly and rapidly scale up our production of Tritan Renew as part of our Foster Grant® collections and to meet the growing consumer demand for innovative, eco-friendly eyewear.”

With its commitment to scale up the production of frames made with Tritan Renew, FGX becomes the first in the eyewear industry to leverage output from Eastman’s new molecular recycling facility. FGX first adopted Tritan Renew in its iconic Foster Grant collection in January 2022. The reserved volume will enable FGX to switch all Foster Grant plastic eyewear to Tritan Renew over the next few years as well as introduce Tritan Renew in many of its other world-famous brands.

“We are proud to expand our partnership with FGX,” said Glenn Goldman, commercial director, Eastman plastics division. “With this commitment, FGX is once again demonstrating its leadership on sustainability, and we are excited to work with them to scale up their use of Tritan Renew as our new molecular recycling facility becomes operational.”

*Recycled content allocated via ISSC-certified mass balance approach

About Eastman

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive and diverse company, Eastman employs approximately 14,500 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2022 revenue of approximately $10.6 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA.

About FGX International

FGX International, an EssilorLuxottica company, is a leading designer and marketer of nonprescription reading glasses, optical frames, and sunglasses with a portfolio of established, highly recognized eyewear brands and e-commerce channels including Foster Grant®. For more information, visit fgxi.com 

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Media contact

Jacob Teetzmann
1-423-494-3673
jteetzmann@tombras.com

FGX International contact

Shawna Hassett
Vice President PR
Duffy & Shanley
shassett@duffyshanley.com