Essilor has signed a licensing agreement with Safilo for the design, manufacture, and worldwide distribution by Essilor of polarized ophthalmic lenses under the Polaroid brand.

The 10-year agreement between the French and Italian optics giants has Essilor CEO Hubert Sagnières enthusiastic. “The strength of the Polaroid brand is a key lever in drawing people's attention on the importance of protecting their eyes from the sun and in growing the polarized category within the mainstream consumer segment. This new collaboration will allow us to bring together Essilor's strong know-how and leadership in ophthalmic lenses with Polaroid's strong recognition on polarization,” said Sagnières.

According to Essilor, the market for polarized lenses only represents 20% of the total sun market in the world today.

Roberto Vedovotto, CEO of Safilo, considers the project “an extraordinary opportunity for Polaroid not only to confirm its credibility and worthiness as a reference brand for the protection and improvement of eyesight, but also to extend its application to eyesight correction.”

Sources: http://www.essilor.com/en/Press/News/Documents/2013/Essilor_Safilo_licencing_agreement_polaroid_EN.pdf

http://www.safilo.com/en/PR_2013-05-21_safilo-announces-a-licensing-agreement-with-essilor-for-polaroid-branded-polarized-ophthalmic-lenses