China is the largest exporter of eyewear to LMIC markets. 69 For instance, 78 per cent of India’s eyewear imports come from China. 70 Nigeria relies significantly on imports, with over 90 per cent from China. Even though countries like Brazil and Mexico have local eyewear-manufacturing capabilities, Chinese manufacturers are still important for their eyeglasses markets. 71
Table 23: China eyeglasses exports (2022)
Segment | Value (in United States dollars) | Compound annual growth rate | Volume (millions) | Compound annual growth rate | Percentage of China export in world export value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spectacles | 4.0 billion | +19% | 2,427 | +18% | 50%i |
Frames | 1.8 billion | +11% | 397 | -1% | 53%ii |
Lenses | 1.4 billion | -5% | 1,614 | +15% | 40%iii |
Total | 7.4 billion | +11% | Information not available | Information not available | Information not available |
iSpectacles, goggles and the like, World Bank, https://wits.worldbank.org/trade/comtrade/en/country/ALL/ year/2022/tradeflow/Exports/partner/WLD/product/900490 ↩︎
iiFrames and mountings, World Bank, https://wits.worldbank.org/trade/comtrade/en/country/ALL/ year/2022/tradeflow/Exports/partner/WLD/product/900390 ↩︎
iiiLenses, spectacle, World Bank, https://wits.worldbank.org/trade/comtrade/en/country/ALL/year/2021/ tradeflow/Exports/partner/WLD/product/900140 ↩︎
Source: 2022 China’s eyewear industry import and export brief, 2023, China Optometric and Optical Association http://www.chinaoptics.com/policy/details215_4577.html
58There are over 3,000 Chinese manufacturers involved in the manufacturing of eyeglasses and related products. 72 Of those, approximately 400 have annual sales of over RMB 20 million (approximately 2.8 million dollars), which classifies these companies as ‘enterprises above designated size’ by the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics. 73, 74 Production of eyewear is in four city clusters. Each cluster has a group of related eyewear manufacturing companies and suppliers located close to each other to improve efficiency and collaboration. Danyang and Wenzhou clusters produce more affordable products, and Wenzhou focuses on export. Danyang is China’s main production base, the city hosts nearly 600 eyewear manufacturers, accounting for roughly one third of China’s total production of frames. 75
Table 24: Geographical clusters of eyeglasses manufacturers in China
Cluster | Main products | Value (in United States dollars) | Price segmenti | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Danyang, Jiangsu Province ii |
|
660 million in exports in 2022iii | Low-to mid-end |
~400 million pieces of lenses and 100 to 200 million pairs of frames are produced annually ~600 eyewear manufacturers in total |
Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province |
|
1.4 billion in exports in 2022iv | Low-to mid-end |
80 per cent of production is exported to over 150 countriesv ~700 eyewear companiesvi |
Cluster | Main products | Value (in United States dollars) | Price segmenti | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shenzhen, Guangdong Province vii | Branded Eyewear: 50 per cent of the global mid-to- high-end eyewear production | 1.4 billion produced annually. (80 per cent of them are exports) | Mid- to high-end |
125 million eyeglasses produced annually ~800 eyewear companies |
Xiamen, Fujian Province viii | Sunglasses: 80 per cent of Chinese market production and over 50 per cent of global market | 1.6 billion produced annually | Mid- to high-end | ~200 eyewear companies |
iWhite Paper on China’s eyewear industry, 2022, https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H3_AP202211241580537853_1. pdf?1669309701000.pdf. ↩︎
iiJiangsu Danyang’s annual output of lenses exceeds 400 million pairs, accounting for half of the world’s total- the county-level city has become the world’s “glasses capital”, 2023, OurJiangsu, [Link] ↩︎
iiiHow did a county-level city with a population of less than one million become the world’s top seller of glasses? A direct look at the transformation of Jiangsu Danyang’s industry, 2023, Xinhua, http://www.news. cn/fortune/20231226/f18958596b834cb181549d3e8fa7d86f/c.html↩︎
ivWenzhou Eye Valley Industry Decoding Healthy Appearance Level Economy, 2023, Wenzhou News, https:// finance.66wz.com/system/2023/09/11/105599348.shtml↩︎
vEyeglasses Industry, 2018, The Government of Wenzhou, https://www.wenzhou.gov.cn/art/2018/4/24/ art_1475545_17575567.html. ↩︎
viIndustrial Cluster Development – China’s Eyewear Production Base, Wenzhou, 2020, China Optometric and Optical Association, http://chinaoptics.com/news/details230_4350.html. ↩︎
viiAnnual output of more than 125 million pairs, accounting for more than 50% of the world’s high-end glasses production Shenzhen glasses why let the world “light up,” 2022, Shenzhen News, https://www.sznews.com/ news/content/2022-12/01/content_25492574.htm. ↩︎
viiiXiamen’s eyeglasses industry is booming: there are 120 manufacturing companies, accounting for more than 80% of the domestic mid-to-high-end sunglasses market, 2020, Tencent [Link] ↩︎
The five largest lens companies in China are Wanxin (15 per cent of the Chinese market volume), Vivo Optics/Mingyue (10 per cent), Hongchen (9 per cent), Huiding (8 per cent), and Yoli (7 per cent). The 10 largest suppliers account for 65 per cent share of the China’s lenses market. 76 Wanxin stands out with a production capacity of 100 million lenses per year, and roughly 8 per cent of the world’s total lens shipments. 77 Mingyue (Vivo Optics) and Conant are the sole publicly listed companies. Mingyue focuses on the domestic market, while Conant products are sold to more than 80 countries. The frame market is more fragmented.
60Table 25: Leading eyeglasses suppliers in China by product category and capacity
Company | Capacity | Quality | International sales |
---|---|---|---|
Lenses and frames | |||
Hongchen Optical | Daily: 300,000 pieces of resin lenses | CE, ISO | More than 50 countries |
Frames and reading glasses | |||
Ouhai Glasses | Annual: 24.7 million pairsi | CE, ISO | Experience in Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States. ii |
Wenzhou Readsun Glasses | Monthly: 500,000 pairsiii | CE, FDA | International customers include Disney, Sisley, and Hello Kitty. iv |
Wenzhou Matt (Weilan) Optical | Annual: 30 million pieces, including 10 million reading glasses | EU-MDRv | OEM for Walmart, Costco, BOOTs, M&S, etc. vi |
Wenzhou Zhantai Optical |
Monthly: Plastic frames 1 million pieces Metal Frames 800,000 pieces vii |
CE, FDA, ISO | Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia, Japan, India, Brazil, OEM for Safilo, MUJI, Walmart etc. viii |
Pilot Optics | Monthly: 1 million pairs | CE, FDA, ISO | International customers incl. Essilor, Costco, ALDI, Watsons etc. ix |
Wenzhou Mike Optical | Annual: 1.8 million pairs | CE, FDA, ISO | Global experiences with LMICs such as Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Mexico, Indonesia etc. x |
Wenzhou Hengbo International Trade | Information not available | CE, FDA, ISO | The United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa, Asia etc. xi |
Lenses and frames | |||
Wanxin Optical | Annual: 100 million pieces of lenses | CE, FDA | More than 40 countriesxii |
Company | Capacity | Quality | International sales |
---|---|---|---|
Yoli Optical | Daily: 250,000 piecesxiii | CE, ISO 9001 | The United States, Africa, Asia and Europe. Joint venture with Essilor since 2011. |
Select Optical | Daily: 15,000 pieces | CE | 20 countriesxiv |
Wenzhou Sense Optical | Annual sales: 2 million frames | Information not available | OEM/ODM and international sales: 65 per cent Europe, 20 per cent America Continentxv |
Conant Optical | Information not available | CE, FDA, ISO | 80+ countries, including Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Thailand and the United States. xvi |
Huiding Optical | Information not available | CE, ISO | Mainly domestic; limited exports |
New Tianhong Optical | Information not available | CE, ISO | Mainly domestic; limited exports |
See World Optical | Information not available | CE, FDA | 60+ countries, OEM for international brands including EssilorLuxotticaxvii |
Vivo Optics (Mingyue Optical) | Information not available | CE, FDA | Asia Pacific, Europe, and South Americaxviii |
iInformation provided by Ouhai Glasses. ↩︎
iiOuhai company official website, http://www.ouhaiglasses.com/yy/aboutus/aboutus/index.html. ↩︎
iiiInformation provided by Readsun. ↩︎
ivReadsun company official website, http://www.readsunoptical.com/.↩︎
vThe European Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR) is a new set of regulations that governs the production and distribution of medical devices in Europe, and compliance with the regulation is mandatory for medical device companies that want to sell their products in the European marketplace. It has gradually been required in Assistive technology procurement. ↩︎
viInformation provided by Matt Optical. ↩︎
viiInformation provided by Zhantai Optical. ↩︎
viiiZhantai company official website, https://www.zhantaiworld.com/about/about-us. ↩︎
ixPilot Optics company official website, https://www.pilot-eyewear.com/about-us.html. ↩︎
xInformation provided by Wenzhou Mike Optical. ↩︎
xiWenzhou Hengbo official Alibaba website, https://wzhengbo.en.alibaba.com/company_profile. html?spm=a2700.shop_index.88.70. ↩︎
xiiWanxin company official website, http://www.wx-china.com/en/AboutTheBusiness/index.aspx. ↩︎
xiiiYoli Optical company official website, https://www.youlilens.com/about-us/.↩︎
xivSelect Optical company official website, http://www.select-optical.com/Aboutus.asp. ↩︎
xvSense Optical company official website, https://senseoptical.com/.↩︎
xviConant Optical company official website, https://www.conantoptical.com/about. ↩︎
xviiSee World Optical company official website, http://www.swoptical.com/swoptical/en/gywm.asp. ↩︎
xviiiVivo optics company official website, http://www.vivooptics.com/.↩︎