EssilorLuxottica S.A.(EL.PA)
HQ FR40% share
Vertically integrated eyewear giant (€26.5B, 2024); owns Crizal AR coatings, Varilux lenses, Ray-Ban/Oakley frames and ~17,600 retail stores. ~20-25% of global eyewear.
chemical · input
CR-39 / Polycarbonate Lens Resin
Standard-index spectacle-lens substrates — CR-39 allyl diglycol carbonate (cast thermoset) and optical polycarbonate (impact-resistant). The volume backbone of non-high-index lenses.
12
Source countries
5
Companies
1
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
Goods that need this input
1 essential American goods rely on cr-39 / polycarbonate lens resin somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Source countries
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| JPJapan | 18% |
| CACanada | 16% |
| KRSouth Korea (Republic of Korea) | 13% |
| DEGermany (Federal Republic of Germany) | 12% |
| MXMexico | 8% |
| FRFrance | 5% |
| CNChina | 5% |
| TWTaiwan | 3% |
| GBUnited Kingdom | 3% |
| BEBelgium | 2% |
| THThailand | 2% |
| ESSpain | 2% |
Who makes it
Supplier companies
5 companies produce cr-39 / polycarbonate lens resin.
Acomon AG
HQ CH
Leading producer of allyl diglycol carbonate (CR-39 / ADC) and other cast optical monomers for ophthalmic lenses.
Covestro AG(COV)
HQ DE
German specialty polymer and coating company (XETRA: 1COV), spun out of Bayer AG in 2015. Became the dominant global fiber optic coating supplier when it acquired DSM's Resins & Functional Materials business for €1.61B (announced Sep 2020, closed April 1, 2021) — absorbing DSM's 40-year legacy in optical fiber coatings. Then acquired JSR Corporation's 30% stake in Japan Fine Coatings Co., Ltd. (Tsukuba) in January 2022, becoming sole owner. Now self-states it "produces more than 50% of the world's optical fiber coatings." Brands: DeSolite® (primary/secondary UV-cure acrylate coatings), Cablelite® (ribbon matrix/inks), Bufferlite® (tight buffer). Key production sites: Elgin, Illinois USA (former DSM Desotech; main global volume plant); Tsukuba, Japan (Japan Fine Coatings, 100% owned, ~65 staff); Zwolle, Netherlands (coating resins). Also a leading polycarbonate and polyurethane supplier for automotive, electronics, and construction — fiber optic coatings are a small but strategically critical business unit.
PPG Industries Inc.(PPG)
HQ US
Global coatings manufacturer; second major food can interior coating supplier via PPG Innovel (applied to 220+ billion cans in 40+ countries) and Nutrishield product lines. Co-dominant with Sherwin-Williams in North American can coatings.
SABIC
HQ SA
Saudi Arabian petrochemical giant (~10.9M tons/yr polyethylene capacity). Owned 70% by Saudi Aramco since 2020. Major HDPE, LLDPE producer via world-scale plants in Saudi Arabia, Europe, and China JVs.