BARTLETT, Tenn. — The Mid-South is less than one month away from the solar eclipse, and some of the most important work is being done in the Memphis area to make sure you can enjoy it safely.
ABC24 got an inside look at American Paper Optics, where workers at the Bartlett factory are busy making 500,000 pairs of eclipse glasses a day.
“Running as many as we can at one time,” said APO CMO Jason Lewin.
Last time a solar eclipse came near to Memphis in 2017, Lewin said APO created around 45 million pairs of glasses. But in 2024, the number is estimated to be around 75 million.
“We’ve passed the number already for 2017, so it’s as big as it gets,” said Lewin.
Ear pair of glasses is 100,000 times darker than a normal pair of sunglasses, which makes seeing the eclipse possible. APO has already started shipping glasses all across North America along the main path of the eclipse, also known as the path of Totality.
“Kind of starts off in Mexico through Texas, through Little Rock, it’ll go up through Indianapolis, up into New York and up into Canada,” said Lewin.
Outside of the eclipse, APO has partnerships with NASA, Warby Parker, and the Bartlett business recently worked with St. Jude to create a pair of eclipse glasses, where 50% of sales will go to the hospital.
“All your small mom and pop places will have them, Wal-Mart will have them, Lowe’s will have them,” said Lewin, “These are your eyes and at the end of the day we want you to view them safely… It’s a once in a lifetime thing, get to Totality, take your kids out of school, enjoy the moment.”