Not all Komono glasses and watches are made from the same eco-friendly materials, but the brand is well on its way to making this the standard after all! For instance, there are frames made of regular acetate, cellulose propionate, and stainless steel, but also of eco-acetate and recycled acetate.
Stainless steel is used in Komono eyewear as well as watches and is a pretty durable material. In theory, it can be recycled infinitely without loss of quality and the material is harmless to humans during production and use. In addition, it is a robust material, products made of stainless steel can last a long time, and it is resistant to fire, chemical attack and corrosion.
Cellulose propionate (CP) is obtained from cellulose (from wood) that reacts with propanoic acid (the reactant). CP is an organic ester and is a polymer of the thermoplastic type. It is not biodegradable, whereas bio- or eco-acetate is for the most part.
Acetate is a material that we often find in spectacle frames. It is a material made of fibres based on cotton and wood pulp. A plasticiser is needed to convert the raw organic material into usable acetate. With regular acetate, the plasticiser consists of fossil fuels. All acetate eyewear produced by Komono from now on (end of 2021) is made of eco-acetate.
The glasses made of eco acetate consist entirely of renewable and natural raw materials. Their suppliers make this material from leftovers from production. These are then melted and dyed to make recycled black acetate.
Other environmentally friendly materials include bioplastic made from castor beans for eyewear and recycled PET bottles for watch straps. The watch straps are crafted using stainless steel, leather, or silicone.
The glass cases are made from recycled PET bottles, where the recycled polyester is GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified. No new raw materials are required to create the cases. The glass protection is compostable and is made of corn and FSC-certified paper. The packaging is also designed with reusability in mind; for example, the children’s collection includes metal boxes that can be reused as pencil cases.