What’s New in Eyewear: Eco-Friendly Glasses

Sustainability and eco-consciousness are gradually becoming a high-priority concept among brands and consumers alike, and that's certainly the case in fashion.

This includes a specific market within fashion — eyewear. Eyewear producers in recent years have shifted towards sustainable and eco-friendly initiatives to produce innovative products that still state luxury and elegance. For instance, US eyewear producer Marchon recently celebrated its 40th anniversary by announcing its sustainability plan to have 50% of its frame portfolio made from sustainable materials by 2025. The company currently uses sustainable materials for 25% of its collection. Marchon also aims to create an inclusive environment for its workforce and partners.

Of course, Marchon is only one of many eyewear producers striving for sustainability and eco-friendliness in their production and distribution. In this post, we'll delve deeper into “green” eyewear and what to expect in the future:

What are eco-friendly glasses made of?

In its earlier stages, eyewear manufacturers focused on sustainable materials such as bamboo, cork, straw bales, and recycled plastic to create more eco-friendly eyewear. However, only some of these products are suitable for eyewear, as others negatively impact design. Today, companies such as SALT Optics from the US produce their eyewear using cellulose acetate. This common material in eco-friendly sunglasses and prescription glasses is derived from natural substances like cotton and wood pulp.

Other eco-friendly materials for producing "greener" eyewear include vegetal resin, recycled stainless steel, and recycled marine waste. Made from castor oil, vegetal resin is durable, flexible, and light, making them an ideal material to work with eyewear. Brands like Lacoste currently use 40% vegetal resin to produce their sunglasses. Meanwhile, European brand Botaniq uses recycled stainless steel to make their metal eyewear collection with a timeless and sophisticated look. Brands like Sea2See and the Spanish startup Oceanides are focused on offering eyewear created from marine waste from recycled plastic found in ocean debris, offering consumers eco-friendly eyewear while enriching the marine ecosystem.

Where to get eco-friendly glasses?

These sustainable glasses may sound relatively new, but they have become more accessible recently. This is due to the number of eyewear manufacturers and brands adopting greener means of production and distribution, as discussed above. For example, if you have a go-to brand for eyewear, such as Lacoste and Esprit, you can always ask their retailer for their eco-friendly or sustainable collection. Additionally, with the rise of e-commerce and online shopping, getting your hands on eco-friendly eyewear is as easy as a few clicks on your computer or smartphone.

Sunglasses Hut, a provider of designer sunglasses, offers affordable, high-quality eyewear — with great customer reviews. They provide eco-friendly reading glasses and sunglasses with a virtual try-on feature to see if your desired frames suit your needs. Their collection of earth-conscious glasses are made from materials such as recycled acetate, recycled nylon, bio-nylon, and bio-acetate coming from top designers like Burberry and Emporio Armani.

The future of eco-friendly eyewear

To conclude, as more companies respond to the growing need of consumers to make more eco-conscious and environmentally friendly decisions, we may see even more changes and developments in the sustainable eyewear field, such as the use of new renewable resources and materials or newer innovations that can help manufacturers recycle or dispose of used eyewear more responsibly.

Currently, market research from Research And Markets indicates that the global eyewear market is expected to reach $340.89 billion in 2032. Part of this growth is associated with consumer concerns about environmental degradation and the need for eco-friendly eyewear products, alongside the expansion of e-commerce and online retail platforms that make these greener eyewear goods more accessible to customers. As such, we can only hope that this trend continues to pick up for the health of our planet.