Sharp-eyed into a greener future

Countless things can trigger a good feeling: The look of a loved one, a cool drop of water on the skin or a sentence that has been hanging unspoken for far too long.

In the end, the only thing that matters is allowing this good feeling to come through and being open to the waves of change that it may stir up. The film ​“La Piscine”, which inspired us to develop our new special collection, is all about celebrating these emotions, not with a big hurray and great fanfare, but with conviction.

But a good feeling can also arise in a moment of clarity – as an assurance that we’re doing just the right thing.

Even just a single action or a small step can lead towards a better and greener future. Here at neubau, we want to create this good feeling among our customers with each of our products, and for us that means combining environmentally-friendly production methods and trend-setting design.

The path towards our greener future begins in Vienna’s trendy district of Neubau, where numerous independent shops, galleries, restaurants and bars characterize the colorful, creative hustle and bustle.

Those who come to Neubau want to help shape the future and leave their own mark – in a sustainable way. Even if the residents of the district have different life stories, their vision of the future is similar. This is why, with our motto ​“See & Do Good”, we always focus on sustainable materials, production in Austria and innovative design. And therefore, always on a good feeling.

Although its real name (the Latin Ricinus communis) is not so widely known, the castor oil plant quickly became famous for its almost magical features. Nicknamed the miracle tree, and not without reason, the almost mythical-looking plant was en- dowed with impressive super powers by Mother Nature.

The extremely resistant plant grows up to five metres in just three to four months, producing seeds whose versatility must even amaze a successful decathlete. This is why the oil of the castor oil plant, which is extracted from its seeds, can be labeled as a first-class universal talent. naturalPX, the material from which all our polymer frames are made, consists of 65% castor oil and is therefore a particularly environmentally-friendly polymer. Due to its particularly high flexibility, impressive resistance, great color intensity and remarkably low weight, naturalPX quickly proved to be an excellent material.

However, with our newly developed material natural3D we managed to make our production even more sustainable.

The seeds of the castor oil plant continue to form the basis of the material, but we have succeeded in increasing the proportion of renew-able raw materials to 100%. With the development of natural3D, a completely natural material can now also be used in 3D printers for the first time. This innovative new way of printing is a dramatically resource- saving process in which excess material can easily be reused.

When it comes to sustainability, of course, we also think outside the frame.

Our eyewear packaging, cleaning cloths, accessories and prints are made from recycled or environmentally-friendly materials. In addition, 100% green electricity flows through the lines of our headquarters and our production facility, and strict air and water filtration enables us to work almost completely emission-free.

It’s no wonder, then, that director Jacques Deray used the impressive scenery of the Côte d’Azur as the backdrop for ​“La Piscine” – a movie that would become a paradigm of French cinema. 

Starring Romy Schneider, Alain Delon and Maurice Ronet, the film’s characters find themselves on an unrelenting quest for freedom — a liberation guided by free-flowing emotions and instinctive sensuality. In the stifling summer heat, following hearts rather than their heads can be dangerous, but when emotions are about to boil over, the azure swimming pool acts as the trio’s salvation.

Inspired by the sensual cool of Deray’s cult classic, our brand-new special collection Côte du Soleil is about the beauty that comes when courage and freedom collide.

Our brand-new frames are named Alain, Romy and Maurice, alluding to the three actors that helped ​“La Piscine” to acquire its legendary status, and there are unmistakable parallels in the frames’ forms too. Just as the pool’s edge embraces the glittering water within, the frames of our three new models stretch like a band around the lenses.