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Case history / Settore occhialeria
Settore occhialeria

New circular supply chains to recover acetate and nylon in the eyewear industry

Development of integrated circular supply chains, Feasibility analysis for materials recovery and valorization, and Support for the submission of European and national projects
Manufacturing

Eyewear Sector

The Italian eyewear industry is increasingly steering its business model toward the circular economy, driven by European regulations that incentivize projects for the recovery, reuse, and recycling of materials placed on the market.


Eyewear frames are made primarily of cellulose acetate and polyamide (nylon), materials with specific technical properties that require dedicated valorization approaches to maintain the same performance as virgin polymer.

The context

The eyewear sector generated production waste and end-of-life products that were managed according to linear logic, without circular valorization. A structured system was missing to collect, recover, and reintroduce these materials into new production cycles.


The technical characteristics of the materials used (cellulose acetate and nylon) required in-depth analysis to assess the technical and economic feasibility of recovery, ensuring that recycled material could meet the same properties as virgin polymer.

The objectives

Building integrated supply chains for the collection, recovery, and valorization of end-of-life products, assessing application scenarios for secondary materials from an open-loop and closed-loop perspective, and quantifying the associated environmental, economic, and social impacts.

Circularity's intervention

We supported eyewear companies in developing circular economy projects through a cross-functional approach structured in multiple phases:

1
Measuring the level of circularity: assessing products through specific KPIs to quantify the associated environmental, economic, and social impacts.
2
Technical analysis of materials: studying the technical characteristics of recoverable products, with a focus on the availability and recoverability of individual components (cellulose acetate, nylon, and other materials).
3
Characterization of material flows: using the Circularity Platform to map incoming and outgoing material flows, creating matches between companies with production waste, operators authorized for collection and transport, recovery facilities, and companies that reintroduce materials into new production cycles.
4
Analysis of recycling facilities: mapping facilities across the national territory to evaluate the different recovery/recycling methods applicable to the specific case.
5

Definition of valorization scenarios:

 

  • Open-loop: recovery/recycling aimed at the use of recycled material by third-party companies in different sectors

  • Closed-loop: reintroduction of recycled/recovered material within the company's production cycle, replacing virgin raw material
6
Support for European project design: setting up the project to be submitted to European or national calls for proposals, with constant monitoring of upcoming calls and support in drafting and submission.

 

The results

Eyewear companies have gained an operational roadmap to transform their production waste and end-of-life products into valuable resources, with concrete application scenarios in both open-loop and closed-loop logic.


The analysis made it possible to identify compatible recovery facilities, quantify the environmental and economic impacts of the different options, and build structured projects for accessing European and national funding.

  • Integrated circular supply chains designed and ready to activate

  • Technical analysis of recoverable materials (cellulose acetate, nylon)

  • Mapping of recycling facilities across the national territory

  • Open-loop and closed-loop valorization scenarios defined

  • Projects ready for European and national calls for proposals

Contatti

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