With plant-based alternatives creating a storm in the fashion industry across categories, a green wave has been underway for the eyewear industry as well. A category that relies extensively on plastics, has now been working on developing more conscious products using better materials.
Recently, the Italian eyewear group, Safilo, which makes a wide variety of products like prescription frames, sunglasses, sports eyewear, ski goggles and helmets, and cycling helmets, took a step in the sustainable direction. The company has announced its partnership with Coventya – a company that specialises in the development of chemicals for surface finishing treatments. This collaboration will make Safilo the first company in the eyewear sector to use Coventya’s new solution, Metal X, which is aimed at reducing the use of precious metals in the production of eyewear by 90%. The change is expected to help the eyewear brand significantly reduce palladium consumption from production. Palladium is a rare and precious metal that is often scarcely available.
In a statement to The Moodie Davitt Report, Safilo said, “The use of Metal X will help contribute to reducing exploitation of the ground for the sourcing of precious metals leading to a lower production impact in terms of environmental sustainability.”
Earlier in late 2020 as well, luxury eyewear brand Amaury Paris had launched biodegradable lemon-based glasses, that could be composted in just over 90 days. The Wood Light label also launched a pair of sunglasses with frames made with French volcanic rock. Another French brand, Moken, known best for its ecological wooden glasses, recently unveiled a collection of 18 frames that come with the promise of being "100 per cent bio-compostable". The frames are made from bio-acetate, with some models paired with natural materials that can decompose in 120 days of contact with compost. Bio-acetate is a sustainable alternative to conventional acetate as it is biodegradable and is made from renewable resources.
Image Source: Mokenvision.com
Much like the fashion industry as a whole, circularity as a theme can be seen in the eyewear industry as well. Sustainable brand, Eco Eyewear, has launched its Eco Ocean line of frames created from plastic collected from the ocean, usually by fishermen and local communities, in collaboration with public-private initiative, Waste Free Oceans. The plastic is then recycled to create eco-friendly frames. Along with this recycled plastic, the brand also uses other bio-based materials for the eyewear they create.
Image Source: Instagram/ecoeyewear
While the eyewear industry is still a far cry from being completely or majorly sustainable, owing to how much it relies on fossil fuels for plastics, it’s steps like these that are pushing the category in a greener direction.