THE POWER OF SMALL IMPROVEMENTS

 

Demo lenses are an essential part of presenting optical eyewear; the transition to Tritan Renew delivers a measureable impact.

Earth Month is a reminder that progress often begins in the details. Material improvements, even in overlooked components, can add up to meaningful change. At MYKITA, this thinking has led to a reconsideration of one of the most understated parts of optical eyewear: the demo lens.

 

From April 2026, all MYKITA optical frames will be equipped with demo lenses made from Tritan™ Renew, a next-generation copolyester containing the equivalent of 50% certified recycled material.

 

Demo lenses are an essential part of presenting optical eyewear. Inserted into frames for display and fitting, they allow customers and opticians to assess the look and fit of a frame before prescription lenses are installed. Once purchased, the demo lenses are replaced with lenses tailored to the wearer’s vision. While this process remains unchanged, the material used for these temporary lenses has now evolved.

 

The transition to Tritan Renew is equivalent to diverting roughly 150,000 single-use plastic bottles from landfill every year.

Tritan™ Renew is produced using Eastman’s molecular recycling technology, which converts difficult-to-recycle plastic waste – including materials such as carpets or rigid plastic packaging – into a new high-performance copolyester. Through a certified mass balance approach, the resulting material incorporates recycled content while maintaining the optical clarity, strength and durability required for professional presentation lenses.

Because optical frames represent the majority of MYKITA’s business, demo lenses also constitute the company’s largest single lens purchase. Across the collections, the transition to Tritan™ Renew is equivalent to diverting roughly 150,000 single-use plastic bottles from landfill each year.

“Demo lenses have always been a small yet unavoidable part of every optical frame,” says MYKITA founder and creative director Moritz Krüger. “With Tritan™ Renew, we reduce the impact of this component without compromising function or quality.”

 

MYKITA already made a full switch to Eastman Acetate Renew back in 2022 for all its acetate frames and components.

The material meets – and in some areas exceeds – the clarity, strength and scratch-resistance requirements essential for optical demo lenses, while remaining fully compatible with MYKITA’s frame materials and with industry-standard anti-reflective coatings.

 

The transition follows MYKITA’s earlier move to Acetate Renew in 2022 and reflects the company’s ongoing focus on responsible material sourcing. Improvements in eyewear design sometimes emerge through careful refinement of the elements that are already there, rather than an entirely new product.

Explore more about the materials at MYKITA and our responsible design approach.