Eco Eyewear

PRODUCTION LOCATIONS 

Eco eyewear does not provide details about their production countries. 

WORKING CONDITIONS & LIVING WAGES 

While the brand provides a lot of transparency regarding their materiality and sustainability aligned actions, they do not give any information regarding their production and sourcing facilities, nor details regarding ethical production. 

MATERIALS 

• Bio-Acetate
• Castor seeds
• Nylon
• Recycled PET plastic
• FSC-certified bamboo
• Recycled paper
   

Eco Eyewear uses bio acetate for the frames, which is natural and decomposable, sourced from wood pulp and cotton. They also use castor seeds which is turned into the base material for their frames. For their metal components they use recycled metals, and they also use recycled ocean plastic for their eyewear. They use bio Nylon for their lenses, which is a natural and renewable material. 

Their demo lenses are also made from 99% recycled plastic, and display stands are made from FSC certified bamboo and recycled paper. FSC certification ensures ethical sourcing of the wood from protected forests. 

The brand also conducts environmentally sustainable practices, such as sponsoring an ocean cleanup, from which they then use the sourced ocean plastics to create their frames. Their cases and cleaning cloths are also made from recycled PET plastics.

Additionally, today, over 3.3 million trees planted through their One Frame, One Tree program in partnership with Trees for the Future. Eco Eyewear’s trees clean out more CO2 than their eyewear production creates, making them carbon-negative. However, we would love to see more information regarding their claim to be carbon-negative, such as their carbon footprint calculations. 

PACKAGING 

Eco Eyewear’s packaging is primarily made from recycled paper. Their transport packaging is made of 100% cornstarch, which is biodegradable, and the first of its kind in the eyewear industry!

WATER USAGE & CHEMICALS 

The brand does not disclose measures in place to optimize its water usage or chemical management or any of its applicable certifications.

CIRCULAR PRODUCT DESIGN 

Eco Eyewear uses a lot of recycled materials, contributing to their circularity. Their products are all easily recycled at the end of use. Aside from this, they don’t provide any repair or take back options for their products. 

CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODELS 

The brand does not offer repair, resale, or rental programs. Still, the ​“carbon negative eyewear” claim shows a level of commitment to improving supply chain impact beyond the point of sale.

DISTANCE & COMPLEXITY OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN 

• Eco eyewear’s headquarters are located in New York, USA

The brand is located in New York, but does not provide any information regarding the production and sourcing locations, making the length of the supply chain unverifiable. 

TRANSPORTATION 

The brand does not provide any information regarding their transportation methods, which makes a big difference on their emissions regardless of the length of the chain. 

Eco-eyewear does not use any animal materials, hence they are theoretically a vegan brand. 

PRODUCT DESIGN 

Eco eyewear uses high quality, sustainable materials for all their products. They make an active effort to balance the sustainability of the materials with the durability and comfort. They also provide clip-ons for their glasses to turn them into sunglasses anytime necessary. They however, do not provide any care tips or products to keep the glasses in use for as long as possible. 

SLOW FASHION PROCESSES 

The brand produces timeless, basic styles for everyday use that surpass temporary trends. 

TRANSPARENCY ON PRODUCT 

Eco eyewear’s product pages provide general information about their approach to sustainability, use of recycled materials and more responsible packaging. Details regarding product traceability, like the country of production is not provided. 

TRANSPARENCY ON PROCESSES 

The brand positions itself as a conscious alternative rather than fast-moving fashion. The brand provides a lot of transparency regarding materials and sustainable actions, but no transparency regarding their production locations and processes, making it difficult to verify ethical workplace practices and their social actions. There is also no mention of a publicly available annual sustainability reporting or environmental performance metrics beyond their tree planting policy.