Eye care has become a top priority for many people, with the eyewear industry at the forefront of this global eye health movement. Meanwhile, consumers have grown increasingly aware of their impact on the environment.

Over the years, this zoomed-in perspective on sustainability has created a demand for more eco-friendly brands and practices in the market. This trend has likewise trickled down into the eyewear market.

Recent eyewear industry research shows that 75% of consumers want brands to offer more sustainable options, and worryingly, 90% say finding sustainable options for sunglasses proved challenging. According to Earth 911, more than four million pairs of reading glasses are thrown away yearly in North America, amounting to 250 metric tons of waste, 75% of which is typically acetate — commonly used by eyewear manufacturers.

Given the shift towards accessible, sustainable eye and vision care solutions, brands and manufacturers must change with the tides, whether using green materials or eco-friendly manufacturing processes to reduce emissions and waste. Below, we'll delve deeper into existing green materials and manufacturing methods used in the eyewear industry:

Adopting greener materials

Many eyewear brands are adopting greener materials to reduce toxic waste in the production lifecycle. Changes include using more easily recyclable or bio-degradable materials so that consumers can properly dispose of their eyewear in case they need a change.

The Readers brand offers models of reading glasses for women made of recycled products. Their Lancelot Blue Light Readers are made of 50% recycled plastic, the content of which is calculated by mass balance. The blue light filter lenses also appeal to health-conscious wearers who want to protect their eyes from UV exposure.

Another eyewear retailer, Eyebuydirect, has a collection of glasses made from eco-friendly materials such as mixed wood. The Natural frames are crafted using modern bio-acetate, a biodegradable material from renewable sources like cotton linters and wood pulp, unlike traditional acetate frames made from petroleum. There is also the Taiga, which mixes black recycled acetate frames with natural wooden arms for an eye-catching and sustainable approach to style. The wood materials, of course, are eco-friendly and biodegradable as well.

Other brands have also championed various sustainable materials for eyewear products, including bamboo, cork, and recycled steel. Popular eyewear brand Ray-Ban, for example, has since introduced bio-based nylon lenses into their collection, which contain at least 40% biological content. Similarly, fashion house Mulberry used biodegradable and bio-based lenses for their 2021 Penelope and Belgrave sunglasses, made using castor plants.

Eco-friendly eyewear manufacturing

Finally, in addition to using more eco-friendly materials for eyewear products, it’s vital that eyewear brands invest in more sustainable manufacturing processes and build an eco-friendly model that caters to customer and company needs. This involves not only the making of the eyewear products but also other stages of production, including distribution and delivery.

For example, UK startup Coral Eyewear recently partnered with Nissan’s Formula E team to promote sustainable fashion. Coral Eyewear is the first British brand to use ECONYL® regenerated nylon in its eyewear products, which is hand-made in their Italian factory. The polymer prevents 65,100 tons of CO2eq emissions for every 10,000 tons of raw material spent. This leads to a 90% reduction in environmental impact than oil-based nylon, which many eyewear brands and manufacturers rely on. The brand also uses recycled paper and eyeglass cloths in its packaging. Meanwhile, Coral Eyewear’s delivery partner, DPD, operates 1,600 electric vehicles across the UK, significantly reducing pollution in the delivery process.

Other eco-friendly eyewear manufacturing processes include the use of renewable energy. Italian energy company ERG SpA recently closed a 12-year power purchase agreement with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, aiming to supply around 75% of the output from ERG's repowered wind farm in Italy. The France-based eyewear producer has committed to producing around 900 GWh of ERG's wind energy between 2023 and 2034. The newly repowered wind farm will have 42 MW of capacity across ten turbines of 4.2 MW, compared to the old design of 19 wind turbines and 16 MW of installed capacity.

Overall, the eyewear industry is evolving to meet expectations on sustainability, but these materials and methods need to become a widespread industry standard to achieve significant reductions in consumers’ total carbon footprint.