The responsible management of environmental topics

From the definition and implementation of policies and initiatives aimed at reducing the main environmental impacts to investments in industrial technologies with a low environmental impact, from the use of clean energy to a responsible and efficient use of resources, to the reduction and recovery of waste materials, everything is about sustainability.

To learn more, please see the EssilorLuxottica Sustainability report available on EssilorLuxottica corporate website (in English and French).

FROM ENERGY EFFICIENCY TO THE SELF-GENERATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY

For Luxottica, energy management is driven by investments in advanced technologies with low environmental impact. The goal is to increase the effectiveness of the production processes and guarantee a more efficient use of energy and natural resources. In particular, the company’s energy management efforts focus on two main areas: improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewable energy.

Energy efficiency. Energy efficiency initiatives are managed within the scope of its ISO 50001 certified Energy Management System. The installation of meters to monitor energy consumption in all its facilities in real-time and the use of specific indicators allow the company to identify priority action areas and define new projects and improvement plans at its manufacturing and distribution sites. Energy optimization efforts also include improvements in store energy efficiency in terms of lighting, air conditioning and heating systems.

Renewable energy. Since 2013, Luxottica has been investing in reducing CO₂ emissions by generating renewable energy thanks to the installment of solar panel systems and biomass heating systems at its manufacturing and distribution sites, starting with Italy. Their gradual roll-out has enabled the company to more than quadruple the quota of self-generated clean energy in Italy between 2015 and 2020. This effort continued in the second half of 2020 with the installment of two big photovoltaic systems in Agordo and Sedico sites.
Additionally, in Italy, the power supply at Luxottica’s headquarters, directly managed retail stores and manufacturing and distribution sites started to switch to certified green energy during 2020.

OPTIMIZATION OF WATER USE

Over the years, Luxottica has invested in the management and optimization of the use of water resources in its manufacturing sites and logistics hubs. These efforts range from daily commitments, such as the replacement of old valves with time-delay ones and the continuous improvement of the consumption measurement system, to structural improvements of traditional resource heavy processes, such as galvanization. The introduction of the eco-sustainable galvanization technique in Luxottica’s main manufacturing sites of metal frames and components in Dongguan (2014) and Agordo (2016) allowed it to immediately reduce the amount of water and energy consumed as it is an integrated water treatment and recycling system that allows water to be reused in the process.

Following these positive effects on water consumption, between 2018 and 2019 Luxottica installed closed-circuit water systems in the galvanizing plants and in painting processes inside its other sites in Italy dedicated to metal frames and components manufacturing.

RESPONSIBLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

Luxottica’s manufacturing flexibility and improved demand forecasting capabilities are key for the reduction of waste at its plants. Over the years, it has introduced a retro-planning approach to the creation and launch of each eyewear collection, allowing to better plan its production volumes and thereby avoid the situation of manufacturing more units than needed.
In more recent years, Luxottica has also invested in the continuous improvement of manufacturing processes in order to further reduce its environmental impact, such as the installment of evaporator systems and, in Agordo and Dongguan, of a wastewater treatment system.
The Company also focuses on improving waste management in its stores worldwide, starting from the most common forms of waste, such as cardboard, plastic and paper.

ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE PRACTICES IN LOGISTICS

Luxottica’s efforts to limit and reduce its impact on the climate include the transportation and distribution of products, which accounts for one of the most important indirect carbon emissions sources.

Since 2017, the Company has been measuring CO₂ emissions deriving from the transport of its products and has been working closely with its logistics partners in order to find new and alternative solutions to reduce the carbon emissions.

Initiatives to improve the sustainability of logistics include green shipping options for the Company proprietary e-commerce platforms, partnerships with local providers to use alternative fuel solutions and green vehicles where available and a comprehensive mapping of its logistics packaging.