Technological watch
Eastman Sets Sights on Eyewear Industry with Fully Sustainable Acetate Flake
Eastman today announced an industry-first collaboration with Mazzucchelli 1849, the world leader in the manufacturing and distribution of acetate sheet for premium eyewear. Mazzucchelli will produce and sell acetate sheet made from Eastman's Acetate Renew, a cellulose diacetate composed of 60% biobased and 40% certified recycled content. Made through Eastman's , Acetate Renew offers virgin-material performance, incorporates significant amounts of certified recycled content from eyewear production scrap, and results in a significant reduction in greenhouse gases when compared with traditional manufacturing processes, said Eastman in a press release.
The Acetate Renew material creates a true closed-loop for the eyewear industry, according to Eastman, which said that it will make several more announcements in the coming months that will positively impact that sector. Image courtesy Eastman."Eastman's collaboration with Mazzucchelli demonstrates our ability to leverage groundbreaking recycling technologies that bring innovative and sustainable solutions to the industries in which we participate," said Scott Ballard, Vice President and General Manager, Eastman Specialty Plastics. "We're honored that our long-time partner Mazzucchelli will be the first to produce acetate sheet made from entirely sustainable acetate flake and to divert waste from landfills in the process."
Mazzucchelli is providing acetate scrap to Eastman for use in carbon renewal. Eastman will soon begin collecting and recycling scrap at scale from eyewear manufacturers for conversion into new material, creating a true closed loop for the eyewear industry, said Eastman. Mazzucchelli expects to have sheet made from Acetate Renew commercially available before the end of Q2.
The recycled content in Acetate Renew will be certified using the mass balance approach through International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) audits across the value chain. Mazzucchelli has begun the ISCC process with ICIM S.p.a. Italy in preparation for commercialization.
"Eastman Acetate Renew allows us to offer sustainable options to our customers," said Giovanni Orsi Mazzucchelli, President and shareholder of Mazzucchelli, a family-owned company for six generations. "Using Acetate Renew requires no performance sacrifice, meaning we can use it in our full range of premium designs. We're pleased to have achieved this goal, which is the result of a constructive relationship, and to be the first to manufacture acetate sheet with this material and also to provide scrap for carbon renewal technology that would otherwise end up in landfills."
Carbon renewal technology is a chemical recycling process combining mixed waste plastics with heat, pressure and steam to generate syngas—carbon and hydrogen atoms—for use as building blocks to produce a variety of circular products containing high levels of recycled content without compromising quality. Eastman produces biobased and certified recycled content using mass balance allocation. Acetate scrap from Mazzucchelli and certified frame manufacturers will be returned to Eastman to be converted into new acetate flake using chemical recycling technology.
The commercial collaboration between Eastman and Mazzucchelli is the first of many, according to Ballard, who said Eastman has several upcoming announcements that will positively impact the eyewear industry.
The Acetate Renew material creates a true closed-loop for the eyewear industry, according to Eastman, which said that it will make several more announcements in the coming months that will positively impact that sector. Image courtesy Eastman."Eastman's collaboration with Mazzucchelli demonstrates our ability to leverage groundbreaking recycling technologies that bring innovative and sustainable solutions to the industries in which we participate," said Scott Ballard, Vice President and General Manager, Eastman Specialty Plastics. "We're honored that our long-time partner Mazzucchelli will be the first to produce acetate sheet made from entirely sustainable acetate flake and to divert waste from landfills in the process."
Mazzucchelli is providing acetate scrap to Eastman for use in carbon renewal. Eastman will soon begin collecting and recycling scrap at scale from eyewear manufacturers for conversion into new material, creating a true closed loop for the eyewear industry, said Eastman. Mazzucchelli expects to have sheet made from Acetate Renew commercially available before the end of Q2.
The recycled content in Acetate Renew will be certified using the mass balance approach through International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) audits across the value chain. Mazzucchelli has begun the ISCC process with ICIM S.p.a. Italy in preparation for commercialization.
"Eastman Acetate Renew allows us to offer sustainable options to our customers," said Giovanni Orsi Mazzucchelli, President and shareholder of Mazzucchelli, a family-owned company for six generations. "Using Acetate Renew requires no performance sacrifice, meaning we can use it in our full range of premium designs. We're pleased to have achieved this goal, which is the result of a constructive relationship, and to be the first to manufacture acetate sheet with this material and also to provide scrap for carbon renewal technology that would otherwise end up in landfills."
Carbon renewal technology is a chemical recycling process combining mixed waste plastics with heat, pressure and steam to generate syngas—carbon and hydrogen atoms—for use as building blocks to produce a variety of circular products containing high levels of recycled content without compromising quality. Eastman produces biobased and certified recycled content using mass balance allocation. Acetate scrap from Mazzucchelli and certified frame manufacturers will be returned to Eastman to be converted into new acetate flake using chemical recycling technology.
The commercial collaboration between Eastman and Mazzucchelli is the first of many, according to Ballard, who said Eastman has several upcoming announcements that will positively impact the eyewear industry.
This project has been co-funded with the support of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union [LIFE17 ENV/ES/000438] Life programme
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