Reduce waste at the source

The problem of waste disposal is a priority for businesses and consumers. Landfills, incinerators and illicit disposal are causing serious social and environmental emergencies. The only solution is to try to produce as little waste and pollution as possible.

Sorting waste is the best way to maintain natural resources and safeguard both the present and future generations: re-using waste, from paper to plastic, helps restore and conserve a "naturally" richer environment.

The quantity of waste a company produces indicates how efficiently it uses raw materials. An excessive accumulation of waste is symptomatic of inefficient production processes, short product life, and unsustainable consumption. Good waste management must:

• reduce waste at source (use of less material for the same product);
• keep using a product as long as possible (say no to “throw-away”);
• improve product and packaging quality (use of less polluting and less prestige materials in products of comparable performance);
• recycle as much as possible;
• recover energy (using incinerators capable of reducing volume to 5%).

As in all companies, activities in Luxottica Group’s plants inevitably produce waste. Procedures and methods to safeguard people’s health and the environment and ensure proper waste management are already in place.
In compliance with current national and EU legislation, Luxottica adopts three main lines of action:

Reducing waste at source by

• trying to reduce the amount of waste produced and the number of changes of water to a minimum;
• avoiding excessive heating or cooling;
• constantly looking for new suppliers in order to send less to disposal and more to recovery);

Re-use and recycling of as much as possible within the production cycle by

• producing recycled models – as in the case of REVO – using waste material

Proper disposal at landfills or plants authorized to handle non-recyclable waste

• ongoing research into ecologically sustainable raw materials, alloys, plant and new technologies;
• incentives to sorting waste in all employee activities (from the canteen to individual production phases) communicated visually along with instructions on proper ecological conduct.

Another top priority for Luxottica is the reduction of solvent emissions.
An innovative volatile organic substance capture technology has been introduced at Pederobba, Lauriano, Agordo and Rovereto.
The system comprises a concentration unit and a thermal combustion unit. In the concentration phase, the air to treat enters a rotor which uses hydrophobic zeolites – a mineral made up of calcium silicates that react with organic substances – to take out solvents. The remaining substances are neutralized by combustion. The air can then be released into the atmosphere completely purified.