Sunglasses materials: the pro’s and con’s
Summer is here, and it is time to get ready. It does not matter if you are enjoying the beach or living in the city: it is important to protect your eyes from UV rays.
Traditionally, most sunglasses are made from plastics and other (too) durable materials, such as acetate which are not exactly good for the environment. Luckily Kleiderly and other sustainable brands are here to fulfill your sustainable-sunnie-needs.
This blogpost will give insights into which materials are currently out there, and their pro’s and con’s.
Wood & bamboo
When glasses are made of wood, it does not always mean they are entirely made of wood, nor need to have a wood look. Some wood glasses have only wooden legs, others are completely made of wood, and some could be made of a wood blend but have a plastic look and feel (like acetate, but more about acetate later).
Wooden sunglasses can be made of a wide range of woods. When looking for wood sunglasses, please do check if they are made of (FSC) certified wood. A lot of sunglasses may look like they are made of wood, while they are actually made of bamboo. More specifically, 95% of the wooden sunglasses are made of bamboo. Bamboo is not even a wood, but a grass. If the sunglasses are made of wood, they are usually made of walnut.
When shopping for wooden sunglasses, you will most likely notice the wayfarer shape comes around a lot. Surely because of its classic style, but also because it is a relatively easy shape to make out of wood. Some other shapes, like the aviator style and other round shapes can also be found. More complex shapes are usually made of wood or metal around the lenses.
Bamboo is a sustainable crop: a fast-growing grass, it requires no fertiliser and self-regenerates from its own roots, so it doesn’t need to be replanted. Especially compared with other crops like cotton, which needs large amounts of water, labour and pesticides.
If all that is not enough, bamboo is able to grow to its max height in one season. Yet, bamboo used for sunglasses usually grows 3 to 4 years. After harvest, it will grow back just as strong and fast the next season. This means bamboo is more sustainable than most hardwoods, which can take up to 100 years to regrow.
Pro’s
Manufacturing wooden sunglasses uses less energy compared to regular sunglass materials like steel, plastic and acetate. Producing a new product will always use energy and can therefore never be completely environmentally friendly. Nevertheless, wooden glasses are more eco-friendly than plastic ones, and they are of course biodegradable.
Con’s
Unfortunately, durability is not one of the advantages of wooden glasses. As they are made of relatively thin slices of woon, they tend to break when you drop them or sit on them.
Wooden sunglasses are harder to take off as plastic glasses: they are less easy to clean and could stain. Yet, they can also be given an oil or wax treatment to keep them shiny.
Acetate & bio-acetate
Let's start with what acetate is. If you have been looking into what materials sunglasses are made of when shopping for sunglasses, you must have come across acetate. In case you were wondering what acetate is, you will now get your answer.
Acetate is a cellulosic material. This means it is semi-synthetic. It is partly manmade and partly plant based. The plant based material is usually tree pulp. To turn it into frames (or any other product) this pulp is mixed with a cocktail of acids. This substance can then be moulded into frames.
The difference between normal acetate and bio-acetate? Bio acetate is like regular acetate, except it's mixed with bio-based plasticisers, made from renewable sources instead of oil-based ones. It’s recyclable and biodegradable, too.
Pro’s
Unlike wood glasses, they can be made in nearly any design and any colour. And you very likely came across the ‘tort’ print.
Acetate can be slightly bent, therefore it won’t break as fast. Also, if the model you currently have does not fit as well as you want it, you can just take it to your local optician as it can be shaped/moulded into the perfect fit for your face.
Glasses made of acetate will have an outstanding durability, they belong in the category ‘plastic’ after all, which also makes them easy to clean.
Acetate can biodegrade, however the time that is biodegraded strongly depends on the composition of the acetate. Bio-acetate will biodegrade faster than a composition with more plasticizers.
Cons
There is not much information to be found about whether the production of acetate glasses is polluting, as multiple acids are used during the manufacturing process.
When you are done using your acetate glasses, you should take a closer look at how to recycle them. They might look like plastic, but as they are made of wood, they belong in the paper trash. And even then, it will probably get swooped out of the paper trash during the processing.
Metal
Many frames - especially opticals - are made of metal. Luckily, sustainable products are on the rise. A few brands manage to produce recycled metal frames from either aluminium or stainless steel.
Pro’s
Aluminium and steel (which belong to the metal group) can be recycled into the same or other products infinitely. Unlike wood, it will not rot or mould when it becomes wet. Also, metal frames are extremely lightweight. Lastly, metal frames are usually more robust, and can recover from damage, like being sat on.
Con’s
Most if not all, metal frames come with nose pads. These pads also come with pro’s and con’s. The pro is: they are adjustable. This allows them to fit perfectly as the fit can be adjusted to your face, giving the wearer greater comfort.
The downside with metal frames is that the weight of the frame and lenses rests on the two small pads which can lead to pressure spots where they contact the nose. Lastly, like mentioned before, not many brands are using this recycled material, so there are not a lot of designs to choose from.
Recycled plastic
Recycled plastic frames will always be a better choice than virgin plastic. Yet, it's drawn lots of controversy and has become a global issue as plastics aren't easily recyclable. Yet, buying from brands who are active in changing the plastic overproducing, usually have additional features. Examples are that when one pair of recycled plastic sunglasses are bought, 1 kg of plastic is taken out of the ocean.
Pro’s
A very big pro: it keeps plastics from going to landfill and the ocean. And even though recycled, the quality of recycled plastic is just as good as virgin plastic. Whereas fabrics like recycled cotton would need new cotton to keep the quality, recycled plastic can be 100%.
Con’s
Even though it will always be better to buy recycled, recycling products is also harmful for the environment. Wait what? To achieve the preferred colour chemical bleaches and dyes must be added. In addition, it also leeches other toxins used in the production process like antimony (which is known to cause cancer). Lastly, recycled plastic also releases microplastic, just like virgin plastic.
One thing that is not addressed for all these materials is one part of the production process. Let me give you an example: wooden sunglasses require a lot of hand-work. So if the brand says it is hand-made, it truly is. This can not be classified into a pro or con, as this strongly depends on where they are made, as even though we are living in 2021, our products are still made in poorly regulated facilities in Asia.
The same goes for all other materials. When buying from a brand, it is important to always look where exactly the product is made. Luckily, the fashion industry is making a shift and more and more products are produced where they are sold.
Also, the lens from most sunglasses is usually not made from sustainable materials as this is, to date, still not possible.
How does Kleiderly contribute
At Kleiderly, our mission is to reduce plastic production worldwide by converting polyester clothing waste into a sustainable material that can replace oil-based plastics and their usage in many products.
Sources:
https://www.kraywoods.com/blogs/our-stories/why-choose-wooden-sunglasses
https://goodonyou.eco/bamboo-fabric-sustainable/
https://sustainabilitymattersdaily.com/guide-how-to-find-the-best-wood-sunglasses-online/
https://thequirkyshop.com/blogs/news/how-wooden-bamboo-sunglasses-are-made
https://ecocult.com/acetate-sunglasses-eco-friendly-greenwashing-sustainable/
https://www.eyeweargenius.com/buyers-guides/acetate-vs-plastic-ultimate-guide/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10601329308021259
https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/how-sustainable-is-recycled-polyester/2018111540000