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Dear Optiboarders,
Just thinking out loud.
A majority of industries and business are inclined towards eco sustainable products that help our natural systems.
Apart from some instances in packaging using recycled materials, are there any more options to include eco friendly products, processes in our industry?
How does your country discard old lenses, acetate and metal frames? What happens to all the waste that the industry generates?
Benny
Lens tints (dyes) can be purchased in "green" formulations that can go right down the drain without damage to the environment. Both metal and zyl frames & parts can go into household/office recycling bins. At least one Optiboarder uses recycled polycarbonate to make edger chucks, so I imagine that it can be used for other purposes. In most communities there are mandated programs for recycling plastic,glass, metal,paper, etc. I have yet to see a program that will take styrofoam, so we are using mini air bags for shipping instead of styrofoam peanuts.
I think a majority of industry and business at least in the United States is inclined toward what improves the price of a share of stock. If they can do it with an eco friendly program they will. I do not think they do so out of a concern for the environment (with few exceptions), but because of government regulation and/or the potential for being sued.Quote:
Originally Posted by beejay
I believe most of this countries optical waste goes to landfills, sewer treatment facilities or incinerators that generate electricity.
Most Americans are too lazy, cheap or ambivalent to pay the true cost of being eco friendly.
Thanks for the replies.
I googled for an answer and came across NGOs trying to recycle eyewear. This meant that the frame was reused with new lenses for people in countries who cannot afford them. There have been theories that this is not the right kind of recycling as its cheaper to provide new eye wear(frame+lens) at relatively lower cost keeping in mind various other costs like shipping, sorting and finally it might not even fit the face of the child or whoever it ends up with finally.
There are a lot of organisations working for this kind of recycling.
I am a tree hugger and was wondering about the volume of demo lenses, old lenses, nosepads rtc. The volume generated must be huge keeping in mind the size of the global industry. India is no lesser in terms of laziness and cheapness so I assume it must be just dumped without even sorting. The municipality in our area asks us to keep demo lenses, old lenses in a separate container. This is taken to the garbage yard and it just remains there. Sometimes, it is burnt with the other garbage in a not so eco friendly manner. If we were able to find better use for this.
I am a tree hugger and there are many companies that are 'Eco Friendly; Modo with several programs, one for one, recycled materials and planting trees. Mazzuchelli has come out with a Bio Acetate made from recycled Materials that more and more companies are using. Marchon and Safilo are trying to reduce their packing. Many of Stella McCartney frames are made with renewable materials. The Vision Council has a Sustainability Committee in which the labs are working to reduce their carbon footprint. Of note are Wal-Mart, Zeiss Lab in Mexico and Maui Jim along with Vision Ease and Essilor are all working to Reduce and Reuse. Also, Regarding lenses, which can be made into art and jewelry, there are many places that these can be recycled for Artists and schools.
Sorry this is in big Font. Schedule
Maui Jim's new material "Hexatate" is supposed to be fully recyclable.