Indeed, glasses can be very polluting, especially when they’re made of plastic, a material that can take centuries to degrade in nature.
To combat this, the industry is launching new alternatives to plastic, specifically in the form of plant-based materials.
Last year, the Amaury Paris brand launched biodegradable lemon-based glasses, which promise to be compostable in just over 90 days; while the Wood Light label unveiled a pair of shades with frames made with French volcanic rock.
These are two initiatives, among many others, that demonstrate the green revolution is well and truly underway in the eyewear world.
Bio-acetate, the new star material
Wood, stone, lemon (or citric acid), castor oil, corn and even algae are just some of the natural resources being used to make sustainable glasses. Most of these are already being used in the fashion industry, especially for sneakers and goods traditionally executed in leather.
But if there is one material that’s been everywhere in eyewear in recent months, it’s bio-acetate. This differs from ordinary acetate in that it is biodegradable and made from renewable resources.
Although decomposition times vary greatly from one brand to another, it is still far better than the few centuries required for plastic frames to break down.
The French brand Moken, known for its ecological wooden glasses, has just launched a new collection of 18 frames that promise to be “100% bio-compostable”, made from bio-acetate, with some models paired with natural materials promising to decompose in 120 days upon contact with compost.
Making way for recycling
The eyewear sector is also gradually turning to recycling, offering frames designed, for example, from recycled steel.
The Eco Eyewear brand goes even further with its Eco Ocean line of frames created from plastic collected from the ocean by fishermen and local communities, in collaboration with Waste Free Oceans. The plastic is then recycled to create eco-friendly frames.
Truly the eyewear industry has begun to reduce its long-term impact on the planet, and this green revolution is just getting started.