Sustainability in eyewear design

Design additions for building a truly sustainable model in the eyewear industry. The beginning of an organic reflection on sustainable development is conventionally traced back to the report Our Common Future, better known as the Brundtland Report, published in 1987, in which the concept of sustainability is defined as: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Over thirty years have passed since this definition, but there is still some confusion about these concepts which, precisely because of their complexity, are sometimes manipulated or trivialized to the point of often generating inadequate design practices, which lead to the creation of partially "sustainable" products, in relation to some limited and circumstantial aspects of their life cycle. This work focuses on assessing the environmental impact of an apparently simple product like the frame for ophthalmic lenses and solar filters and it tries to highlight, through significant case studies, which actions are today implemented in this sector in relation to the acquisition of raw materials, design, production processes and the use and disposal of products. The article also intends to highlight the importance of design in terms of the circularity of the system, as it can influence the entire life cycle of the product.