Eco Friendly Eyewear: Sustainable Tips, Tricks, and Habits
My husband had his eyes tested recently and his prescription had changed (again!). With 4 billion people worldwide wearing glasses, this got me thinking about the waste generated from eyewear across the globe.
The fashion industry is ranked the world’s third most polluting sector. As we discussed in a previous post, fast fashion contributes to environmental degradation through the use of toxic chemicals, excessive water consumption, and waste production.
This environmental footprint extends beyond clothing and into accessories like eyewear. For instance, the global sustainability network Common Objective has found that up to 75% of acetate is typically wasted by an eyewear manufacturer. Meanwhile, Earth 911 states that more than 4 million pairs of reading glasses are thrown away every year in North America alone.
However, there is a growing shift among consumers towards more sustainable practices. In a survey, Forbes noted that almost 30% of consumers say they want to improve the environment, with 23% wishing to reduce production waste and 22% wishing to reduce their carbon footprint. Fortunately, there are simple ways you can achieve these goals. Here are key ways you can practise sustainability to achieve more eco friendly eyewear consumption habits.
Recycle old pairs of glasses
Every year, millions of pairs of glasses are discarded, often ending up in landfills. To minimise your carbon footprint, recycling old eyewear is crucial. This can be challenging as glasses are usually made of a mix of materials that cannot be processed by local recycling facilities. The good news is that there are now clearer recycling guidelines set by the UK government to make the process simpler.
To ensure that your old glasses are properly recycled, make sure to separate the glass, metal, plastic, paper, and card elements of your glasses. This allows waste collection authorities to sort through different waste streams more efficiently for high-quality recycling or composting. Organisations like Lions Clubs UK also accept donations of unused spectacles, which are then recycled or sent to communities in need.
Opt for eco friendly eyewear
To meet the growing consumer demand for eco-friendly eyewear, many brands are expanding their product lines to include sustainable options. Leading retailer Ray-Ban, for one, has a line of prescription glasses and sunglasses made from bio-based materials. More specifically, these products are crafted from renewable resources like cotton, wood pulp, cereals, beet, and sugar cane. On its website, the brand states that bio-acetate production, compared to standard acetate, reduces CO2 by at least 54%.
When looking for a new pair of glasses, consider models like the Zena Optics and Kat Optics, which have lenses designed with bio-nylon containing 40% bio-based carbon content and frames with 57% bio-based carbon content. Importantly, these products have been tested in accordance with ASTM D6866 standards.
Repair instead of replace
In the UK, Right to Repair laws introduced in 2021 extend to eyewear, encouraging consumers to repair glasses rather than replace them. Under this legislation, manufacturers are obliged to make spare parts for products available to consumers. This practice aligns with sustainable living principles by reducing waste and the demand for new resources. The NHS, several high-street opticians, and online retailers offer glasses repair programmes, making it easy to fix minor damages to your glasses.
The NHS has specific qualifications that may entitle you to free glasses repairs, while London Drugs has on-site repair services available for walk-in customers. Their services include nose pad replacement, adjustment on metal, plastic, rimless, semi-rimless and sunglasses frames, and tightening or replacement of small screws. On the other hand, retailer Lenses In Glasses offers reglazing services to equip old glasses with new prescriptions.
Living a greener, more sustainable lifestyle involves making conscious choices about everyday items, including eyewear. Making these small changes in your consumption habits can lead to a positive impact on the environment, showcasing the power of individual actions in the broader fight against environmental degradation.