Due to the extreme heat and to protect the eyes from UV lights, sunglasses have become a vital part of people’s accessories. Though wearing sunglasses can protect the users from the sun, the glasses themselves can cause harm to the environment. This irony of sunglasses protecting humans but harming nature comes from the primary concern that the material used to manufacture these glasses are mostly plastic, as everybody knows, is harmful to the environment. The best solution to this concern is to change to eco-friendly and sustainable sunglasses like the Nomad Eyewear that doesn’t cause harm to the environment and also has stylish designs.
Materials Used To Make Eco-Friendly Sunglasses
Source: pexels.com
Cork
Cork sunglasses have become not just eco-friendly one, but also a great fashion statement. The
non-toxic and pesticide-free cork fibers with recycled HDPE plastic, is used to manufacture these cork sunglasses. HDPE plastic is a type of plastic commonly found abandoned in landfills. This type of plastic is to manufacture products like soap boxes, jugs, and so on. Therefore, by combining cork fiber and recycled HDPE plastic, the final cork sunglass becomes durable and sustainable.
Cellulose Acetate
Discovered by French scientist Paul Schützenberge in 1865, cellulose acetate is a type of natural plastic made by combining esterified acetic acids with cellulose materials from wood fibers and cotton. The final product uses vibrant colors and unique patterns. This results in the sunglasses being not just a sustainable product but also a very stylish one.
The acetate sunglasses are also hypoallergenic,i.e., this material is safe and could be used by sunglass users with sensitive skin. Since the material is majorly plant-based, it does not contain toxins that pose any risk to the skin. It proves that eyewear material is also safer for users’ health. Additionally, acetate sunglasses are lightweight than plastics, floatable in both fresh and saltwater, and are also biodegradable.
Wood
Wooden sunglasses are yet another sustainable and eco-friendly sunglasses that have been in trend for the past few years. However, wooden glasses were used as reading glasses in the early 13th century, and later like sunglasses by Eskimos. These wooden sunglasses were considered cheap compared to other metals in ancient times.
Today, these eyewear are in trend for their material and functional values. They are produced from bamboo, rosewood, oak wood, ebony wood, and maple wood. These woods provide the frames of the sunglasses a smooth texture, are lightweight, comfortable to use, and even floatable.
This eyewear has lenses that provide 100% protection from UV rays, have multiple color options for the lenses, are biodegradable that indeed will not be harmful to nature, and most importantly, are considered cool sunglasses by fashion enthusiasts for their aesthetics.
Ocean Plastic
Source: pexels.com
Statistics in 2023 have shown that 269,000 million tonnes of plastic waste are floating on the ocean surfaces and these plastics cause water pollution and eventually death to several aquatic lives. However, these plastics are recycled to manufacture goggles, which will be durable and long-lasting.
The eyewear made from ocean waste have increased in the current times, and many people appreciate this innovative idea for a good cause. These shades are made from recycled plastic, the cases from HDPE plastic, and pouches from recycled PET bottles. Such innovation has drastically reduced the number of plastics polluting the ocean.
Recycled Metals
Plastic is not the only material used to manufacture eco-friendly and stylish shades. Metals recycled from abandoned wastes, are also used to make this sustainable eyewear. Metals like aluminum, steel, and titanium are mainly used to manufacture sunglasses frames, as these metals can be recycled again. Metal sunglasses are a combination, and hence the glasses are more durable.
What are the lenses made of?
Polarized lenses
Even Though the eyeglasses are manufactured from recycled wastes and natural substances, the quality of the lenses stays the same. The lenses used to manufacture these glasses are polarized or anti-glare. It means these lenses reduce eye strain and light glare and provide good vision to the user. All the eco-friendly types of goggles use this lens to provide users with a high-quality and eco-friendly product.
Pros of Eco-Friendly Sunglasses
Source: pexels.com
Reduce Plastic waste
The first and foremost reason to choose eco-friendly glasses over plastic sunglasses is to reduce the wastage of plastics. It is a well-known fact that plastics are non-biodegradable, and hence the parts of the sunglasses, once broken, will get completely ruined. The plastic will remain and cause massive plastic pollution. Reports show that, every year, about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste is getting dumped.
Eco-friendly glasses can solve this problem by recycling these abandoned wastes and creating sunglasses. It can reduce plastic waste and is also safer for the environment. It is to use eco-friendly eyewear made from recycled and natural products than using plastic eyewear that pose risk to nature.
Hypoallergenic
Many eco-friendly goggles are made from natural substances that are less harmful or allergic to the users’ skin. So these eyewear can be worn by all users without the fear of getting any skin damage.
Style
Eco-friendly sunglasses does not mean they have boring designs. This eyewear comes in different colors, patterns, and prints. They also come in different shapes according to the users’ likes. So now the users can flaunt this eco-friendly product as a style statement.
Long Lasting and lightweight
Unlike plastic or cheap metal goggles, these eco-friendly glasses are lightweight and easy to carry around. Since these products are much lighter than plastic or metal glasses, they are even floatable. Additionally, these sustainable glasses are produced from natural products and handcrafted, hence they are long-lasting.
Conclusion
Using products that are eco-friendly and made from recycled products is one way everybody could do to save the planet from getting polluted and eventually destroyed. A change or a step toward eco-friendly products is a good sign of the earth recovering from destruction, and it saves the planet while also the lives of the people.
Changing to eco-friendly sunglasses is one small step anyone could take to achieve the goal, and since this is a product people use, when stepping out in the sun, it is healthier for the users to choose sustainable eyewear. Not only does this product give protection to the users and the environment, but also is a great style statement. Hence, one step towards using a sustainable product equals one step towards saving the environment.
