Data for the first quarter of 2022 were presented at the 2022 ANFAO (Italian Optical Goods Manufacturers’ Association) meeting, a key opportunity to take stock of the eyewear industry in the broader economic context. In addition to ANFAO President Giovanni Vitaloni, speaking on behalf of the public were Massimo Beccarello, Associate Professor of Industrial Economics at the University of Milano-Bicocca, also a senior advisor to Confindustria for the Energy Transition, and Nicola Moro of Studio Fieschi, who shared perspectives on the new sustainability certification project and on the impacts of the current energy crisis in Europe and its effects on the eyewear industry.

Italy’s eyewear industry enjoyed a positive first quarter of 2022, especially regarding exports: ANFAO data for January-March indicate a 32.3% surge in growth compared to the same period in 2019 and a 35.3% increase over 2021.

Expectations for the coming months are for continued growth in terms of exports, manufacturing, the domestic market, and employment in the industry.

The sector closed out 2021 on the “plus” side, lifting it up to pre-Covid levels. Thanks to its robust international affinity, eyewear was among the sectors that managed to respond well to the pandemic last year. In 2021, Italian eyewear production reached 4.17 billion euros, up 35% from 2020, while exports grew by 39.9% over the previous year, to just over 4 billion euros.