This study aimed to optimize the zinc-catalyzed trans-esterification, and pointed to assess the effect of the solvent, the catalyst, its loading and the nature of the substrate. The screening disclosed the remarkable ability of zinc(II) acetate to promote the reaction in refluxing toluene at low catalyst loading. A significant improvement ensued with respect to recently results on the same reactions, in terms of less restrictive conditions and more convenient catalyst precursors.