Skip to content

Passion for Future: bio-based materials

Whether we save the world with innovative materials is not certain. It is definitely certain that we will make the world a little bit better with smart alternatives, or in the case of the Austrian eyewear brand neubau Eyewear even more stylish.

What else makes neubau eyewear special apart from its unique styles and clearly defined quality standards? The protection of the environment. And that’s why the Austrian company keeps coming up with sustainable innovations. Dominik Füreder, product manager at neubau headquarters in Linz, talks about these innovations.

First-class eyewear design and ecological management can go hand in hand.

neubau eyewear recently started working with the bio-based materials naturalPX and natural3D, which are either injection moulded or produced in a 3D printer at the Linz headquarters in Austria. The advantages of these two materials? The frames are approximately 30 percent lighter than comparable plastic spectacles. They are very durable and retain their shape.

Designed, developed and manufactured in Austria.

The basis of naturalPX and natural3D comes from nature. The material for these frames is made from the oil of the castor bean. This serves as the base material for biopolymers such as naturalPX (injection moulding) and natural3D (3D printing). Lasting plus: The castor oil plant, also known as the miracle tree, is relatively undemanding. It grows in poor soils that would not be suitable for food production. To extract the oil, neubau works together with the Indian Sagarti agricultural cooperative, which ensures that local farmers can work under good conditions and that no forests are cut down.

In contrast to many other materials used in eyewear production, no plasticizers are used in these frames.

With a 65 percent bio-based share, the Austrian eyewear brand has already shown that there are always smart developments in the field of eyewear production. The next step was production with 100 percent castor oil and no use of petroleum-based plastics. Since April 2020, this has been possible with 3D-printed glasses from neubau.

Biobased materials from the oil of castor bean instead of petroleum-based plastics or acetate.

But sustainability does not stop with new construction. Apart from numerous measures in and around the Austrian headquarters, Dominik is also responsible for the sustainable conversion of packaging items such as cases and cleaning cloths. Since 2017, for example, over 120,000 plastic bottles have been recycled for the production of spectacle cleaning cloths. The spectacle cleaning cloths made of recycled plastic are packed exclusively with recycled paper.

Good to know: neubau Eyewear draws its energy exclusively from environmentally friendly sources, filters air pollutants and promotes water protection.