Between the glasses of major luxury brands, manufactured by giants of the sector such as Essilor, Luxottica or Safilo and the optician brands with attractive promotions, is there a place for eco-responsible glasses?
If we have already moved to slow fashion, by abandoning big name brands, we think less about ethical and ecological concerns when it comes to prescribed products, such as corrective glasses, or even when we want to treat ourselves to a pair of sunglasses, a fashion accessory that we match to our look.
When we know that more than seven out of ten French people wear glasses – and three out of four adults renew them at least every three years – and that the majority of these glasses are made of plastic (injected plastic, cellulose acetate or Grilamid) or made of a mixture of metals (titanium, aluminum, stainless steel, cobalt, nickel) and, above all, are manufactured in Asia, an eco-responsible approach seems desirable.
All the more so since, in nature, a classic pair of glasses takes more than 400 years to degrade, leaving behind pollutants.
From frames made from recycled or biodegradable materials to environmentally conscious "eco-opticians" and the second-hand eyewear market, alternatives exist, but, as always, they require a proactive approach.
Frames made from biodegradable materials
In order to respect the environment , more and more new brands are using biodegradable natural materials to make their eyeglass frames. These materials include FSC-certified French wood (i.e. from well-managed forests) and bio-acetate. Some frames are also made of bamboo or cork, following ecological manufacturing processes.
Wood, a natural material
Having appeared around ten years ago, in France in particular with the Waiting for the sun brand, wooden glasses are all the rage and are gaining ground on opticians' shelves. An eminently natural material, provided that this wood is produced locally and is not treated with polluting substances. Among the French brands at the forefront of this material are: Mou Sunglasses , glasses made from Basque wood or In'bô in Lorraine wood; the Ardéchoise Woodlun's , using oak, chestnut, ash, beech with finishes in cherry, walnut, maple... and some precious woods - zebrano, ebony and amaranth -, from recycling; or Shelter in Annecy, which recovers dead wood and shapes sunglasses in its workshop. The English brand Bambooka uses a species of giant bamboo, which gives light and solid frames and donates its profits to People Empowered Preserved Earth which supports and teaches permaculture and hygiene. And Hemp , as its name suggests, uses hemp.
Bio-acetate and bioplastics
Since the early 2010s, bioplastics created from corn, castor oil or algae have been used in the manufacture of certain glasses. Natural PX is a polymer composed of 65% castor oil. But among these new materials, bio-acetate is certainly the most widespread. This bio-sourced polymer, called M49 and marketed since 2013 by Mazzucchelli, gives an eco-responsible thermoplastic material, is composed of cotton flake powder and wood cellulose, mixed with a plasticizer of natural origin. 100% biodegradable and recyclable, without phthalates, it is capable of degrading naturally in 115 days once placed in the ground. Moreover, we now find at Grand Optical , EcouterVoir (under the Juste brand) and Générale d'optique (Go Green) models in bio-acetate. At Afflelou , the Magic 13 is made of G850, based on castor oil (with lenses in BD8, a recyclable material).
Since its creation in 2014, Moken , created and based in Hossegor, has offered biodegradable, organic and biosourced glasses, originally designed from cork, wood and stone. The brand has recently ventured into bioplastics, made from plants, to build ethical glasses. Waiting for the sun has also developed a new material, bois2, a recyclable and biodegradable bioplastic, made from recycled wood from the offcuts of their wooden frames.
Frames made from recycled materials
In a concern for zero waste , many eyewear manufacturers have started manufacturing frames from recycled materials, with diverse and often surprising origins: wood from furniture manufacturing, strips of old skateboards, and even old oak barrels thus become the raw material for the arms and rims of glasses. Other highly technical processes also make it possible to recover food waste from catering by creating eyeglass frames from compressed coffee grounds or crushed shells, or waste collected from the seabed.
Recycled natural materials
Some frames are made from compressed dried coffee grounds ( Ochis Coffee ). The sea is also a good supplier: the Naoned brand makes its glasses in Brittany and offers models made from seaweed. As for Friendly Frenchy , these Bretons collect empty shells and crustacean shells from restaurants or the food industry, crush them to integrate them into the production of solid plates from which the glasses are cut. Another of their collections is made from grape seeds. The production is 100% Made in France.
Recycling and Upcycling
Many brands, like the Danish Monkeyglasses - which also makes bioacetate frames - use recycled material for their metal collections.
Some frames, quite original, are made from recycled everyday objects. Barrels, furniture, and even end-of-life skateboards (7 Plis) are thus recovered and transformed into recycled frames.
Vinylize in France and Spexwax in San Diego make their glasses from old, unplayable vinyl records. The latter offer cases made from the cover of the vinyl album used.
Yuma Labs uses 3D printing for its glasses made from recycled fridges, recycled soda bottles (from Europe) and even recycled dashboards (from the Netherlands)!
SeatoSee was created by a Dutchman living in Barcelona. He uses waste (bottles, but especially fishing nets) collected and recycled through a collaboration with thousands of Spanish, French and West African fishermen, raising awareness, and has his glasses manufactured entirely in Italy.
In addition to the raw material of the frames, there is the assembly. Thus, since most hinges are made in China, some eyewear manufacturers make frames by hand and without screws, in order to optimize their biodegradation. And in order to have an eco-responsible approach to the end, they use varnishes and food colorings to finalize their products.
Finally, in order to eliminate plastic, some pack the frames, when they are sent to the optician, in recycled and recyclable paper bags. And make their cases out of cardboard or recycled materials.
Vintage Glasses
Some brands and opticians have undertaken to give glasses a second life. By hunting through flea markets for glasses from the 50s or 60s, by collecting from opticians or as part of campaigns, then reconditioning them, either to resell them in their specialist shops or to offer them to the general public with low incomes or no income at all, like the Lilloises de Lunettes de Zac .
Photo: © Zac's Glasses
Eyeglass lenses and sustainable development
While frames allow for inventiveness in the use of materials, corrective lenses leave fewer alternatives, at least for now. The lenses are in fact either organic (a synthetic material), or polycarbonate, an unbreakable and lightweight material, or mineral. While the latter are very easy to recycle, they are used less and less because they are too heavy and break easily. But these mineral lenses seem to be making a slight comeback for sunglasses, in particular, because they scratch much less.
More ecological processes
While the possibilities are fewer in terms of materials, many glassmakers are implementing manufacturing processes to limit the impact of their production on the environment . Some French glassmakers are working to produce ecological glasses by recycling and reusing the water used for cutting the glasses, replacing certain consumables with washable products, eliminating the use of lead and innovating in 3D printing.
Biodegradable optical glasses?
Optical lenses can also be biodegradable. Some manufacturers make lenses with a bioplastic derived from castor oil. They can be transparent or even tinted to serve as sun protection and would degrade in less than 4 years in nature.
Responsible opticians
Opticians are also the ones who are shaking up the market. In 2012, one of the first eco-responsible opticians, Sébastien Bétend, created an optical shop in Bron, near the Swiss border, which only sold eco-responsible brands that were manufactured (and not just assembled) in France. He ended up creating his own brand, OpSB , which offers “local, ethical and ecological” glasses made from 100% recyclable and 80% biodegradable materials. Several opticians in Paris and other major cities are also making this choice.
The Jimmy Fairly chain also offers trendy glasses, with an ethical positioning with its "buy one, give one" policy. For each pair purchased, a new pair of glasses is given to a person in need through charities.
Organizing the end of life of glasses
"Classic" glasses are not recyclable: in its "Sorting Guide", Ademe indicates that they must be thrown in the household waste bin, to be incinerated or buried. Wooden glasses are no exception to this rule because of the glue that binds the sheets of wood. According to an Opinionway study carried out for Atol, one hundred million pairs of glasses are sleeping in our drawers in France. According to the Krys Foundation , ten million pairs that are still usable are thrown away every year in Europe and the United States. But, if they are in good condition, the glasses can be returned to opticians who offer them and who will redistribute them to associations. Krys, Vision Plus and Lynx Optique are part of the Krys Group Foundation, Jimmy Fairly takes back his customers' glasses. The Lions Clubs and Lunettes sans frontières also organize collections and redistributions so that the glasses participate in the circular economy.
The world of optics is booming. So much so that a passionate and committed optician has created a label governed by 8 criteria within a charter of commitment, the “ Optic for good ” label. Still in its infancy, with 11 brands and 9 opticians, this initiative – the labels being proof – should quickly develop.
