Trinseo, Lapo develop lenses with recycled PMMA resins

Lapo Srl, an Italian eyewear lens manufacturer, and specialty and sustainable material provider Trinseo, based in Wayne, Pennsylvania, are partnering to develop demonstration lenses made of recycled polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resins with a minimum of 86 percent recycled content.

“As a lens manufacturer for high-end eyewear, we are joining the sustainability journey with our customers and end users,” Lapo owner Luigi De Donà says. “This inspiring partnership with Trinseo paves the way for more sustainable solutions to come to life.”

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PMMA, also known as acrylic, typically is used for making lenses due to its high transparency for optical performance, light weight and hardness, while PMMA is the polymer obtained after polymerizing the methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer. For the companies’ project, Lapo tested and approved Trinseo’s Altuglas R-Life V046 CR88, which is an acrylic resin made with at least 86 percent recycled content.

Trinseo uses its depolymerization technology to produce recycled MMA. With its capabilities in material collection, the recent addition of its new depolymerization demonstration plant in Rho, Italy, and years of experience in plastic resin manufacturing, Trinseo says it is able to handle end-of-life PMMA collection, turning it back into recycled PMMA resins through advanced recycling and manufacturing technology.

Trinseo says its recycled PMMA meets the mechanical, thermal, processing, scratch, chemical resistance and demanding optical performance necessary for Lapo’s lenses. Its recycled-content PMMA achieves a 27 percent reduction in product carbon footprint compared to virgin PMMA.

“We are honored to partner with Lapo and encouraged to see more of our recycled materials becoming part of daily life,” says Aldo Zanetti, global sustainability business development leader for engineered materials at Trinseo.