Eyewear Safety Testing and Sustainability Solutions

Eyewear safety testing services that can help build consumer confidence

The global eyewear market is seeing rapid growth as manufacturers and consumers alike remain focused on eyewear safety, quality, innovation and sustainability. Whether shopping for spectacle frames, reading glasses, children’s eyewear and ophthalmic lenses, or swimming goggles, sports eyewear, sunglasses and eyewear accessories, today’s consumers want functionality along with designer style, a comfortable fit and sustainable production. In response, manufacturers must design high-performing eyeglasses and sunglasses in new colors, shapes, styles, materials and sizes that demonstrate safety while enhancing their brand reputation. UL Solutions can help with testing to several global standards, including ISO, EN, ANSI, AS, GB, GB/T and ASTM.

We provide a full range of testing and validation services to evaluate quality, sustainability and compliance and can help you communicate this to the market. Sustainability awareness and commitment are increasingly important, especially in the luxury and fashion eyewear market, and informed consumers remain skeptical of greenwashed products that present false or misleading environmental product information.

UL Solutions can help manufacturers align design, safety and sustainability to differentiate their products for the right reasons. Our compliance and sustainability solutions, paired with our global presence and respected name, help foster transparency, strengthen your brand and drive consumer confidence.

Testing to all applicable eyewear safety regulations and standards

Different markets have different regulations, and staying up to date on industry requirements is complex. With laboratories across the globe, our experts can help you navigate the regulatory landscape and confirm compliance with shifting sustainability regulations to differentiate your products in the market.

Our laboratories are equipped to perform physical-mechanical and chemical testing on eyewear. Our experts can support you with the creation of your Restricted Substances List or can help set up a testing program according to an existing list. Eyewear brands and retailers must sell products that are compliant with multiple global standards, including:

Europe

• (EU) 2016/425, Personal Protective Equipment, including sunglasses, safety glasses
• (EU) 2017/745 Medical Device, spectacle frame, reading glasses, ophthalmic lenses
• REACH regulation

US

• FDA 21 CFR 801.410 Medical Device, lenses

Australia

• Australia Consumer Goods (Sunglasses and Fashion Spectacles) Safety Standard 2017, Sunglasses and fashion spectacle    

Our laboratories are ISO/IEC 17025 accredited to perform specific testing for European market access, including:

• Nickel release analysis according to EN 16128:2015
• Medical Devices Directive Regulation (EU) 2017/745 dedicated to reading glasses and frames
• PPE regulations for sunglasses, swimming goggles and protective and safety eyewear

Sustainability and transparency enable brand differentiation

Sustainability, now a critical brand attribute, offers manufacturers and retailers the opportunity to make their products stand out from the competition. Considering sustainability during product design is essential to building a more robust supply chain. Our sustainability and environment solutions help businesses align sustainability management and strategic direction and make it easier to track, measure and share sustainable performance metrics with luxury brands and retailers.

You need to communicate what sets your brand apart and global consumers demand greater transparency in the market. UL’s Environmental Claim Validation (ECV) can confirm recycled and bio-based content, recyclability rate, volatile organic compound (VOC) content and more. We can also use scientific rigor to evaluate the validity of specific marketing or promotional claims, including UV protection, blue light blocking, confirmation of optical power and validation of polarized lenses with UL’s Marketing Claim Verification.

Safety, quality and sustainability criteria are key focus points for luxury brands, manufacturers, fashion retailers and consumers. UL Solutions empowers you with an exclusive suite of solutions and expertise to evaluate them all and build trust in your brand.

Verify eyewear product packaging performance

Packaging remains an essential component of eyewear products. It can represent a significant portion of the cost of goods and serves the critical function of delivering value to the consumer, whether in the form of preserving the quality or safety of the product or providing it in an easily consumable format.

Now more than ever, packaging deserves attention similar to that of the product itself. We offer comprehensive expertise, testing facilities and advisory solutions to help verify packaging performance through ISTA testing, chemical safety and sustainability.