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Luxury Sustainable Sunglasses to Shop Now

2 years ago

Sustainable sunnies to buy now and love forever

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Luxury Sustainable Sunglasses to Shop Now

Like the majority of accessories and apparel, sunglasses inevitably have an impact on the environment – particularly those made with non-recyclable materials. The best way to avoid further damage? Invest in a pair which are both ethical and eco-friendly. From Sestini’s modish specs to Waterhaul’s innovative designs (made from 100 per cent recycled fishing nets), we bring you the best sustainable sunglasses to invest in now.

Best Sustainable Bag & Accessories Brands

The Best Sustainable Sunglasses to Shop Now

Waterhaul Fitzroy, from £75, waterhaul.co

If Seaspiracy has drawn your attention to the environmental challenges facing our ocean, Newquay-based social enterprise Waterhaul is the sunglasses brand to have on your radar. ‘Every year at least 640,000 tonnes of fishing nets are lost or discarded in the ocean,’ says the company, which creates sunglasses from 100 per cent recycled fishing nets intercepted from the ocean. Each pair comprises of recyclable lenses too, and is delivered in plastic-free packaging.

Peep Monique, £126, peepeyewear.co.uk

Part of Peep’s The Serpent collection (inspired by the BBC crime drama of the same name), this sophisticated pair are your go-to if you’re channeling Jenna Coleman’s infamous character Monique. And they’re eco-friendly too; the brand champions slow fashion by restoring and selling pre-loved vintage sunglasses, and, in partnership with Trees for Cities, plants a tree with every pair sold.

Grown Tallows Zebrawood, £94.95, growneyewear.co.uk

These wayfarer style glasses inspired by Australia’s Byron Bay – have been created with long-lasting and responsibly sourced zebrawood, making them the perfect environmentally-friendly alternative.

Cubitts Boswell Sunglasses, £125, cubitts.com

Available in a range of colours, Cubitts’ oversized Boswell sunglasses feature a 60s-style cat-eye frame with ‘chunky rims’ and ‘sweeping lugs’. ‘Every year, countless frames and lenses end up broken and, rather than being repaired, are simply left to landfill,’ the brand states. Cubitts seeks to create long-lasting, quality sunglasses and encourages repairs (offering a complimentary frame rehab after one year), employs eco-friendly materials where possible and donates unsold stock to eye health charities in Kenya and Ethiopia. The company is also on a mission to become a B Corp certified business.

Wires Honeys in Gold, Black & Pink, £150, wiresglasses.com

Inspired by bee hives, Wires’ Honeys hexagon glasses are handcrafted in Italy, featuring environmentally-friendly bio-plastic 3D printed rims and a stylish stainless steel wire frame. The brand has a ‘zero waste philosophy’, using 3D printing to create its rims, a process which the brand describes ‘only consumes the precise material it needs to form product’, whilst the temple tips are produce with 43 per cent natural rubber.

Sestini TRE in Truffle & Lilac, £335, sestinieyewear.com

Channeling the 90s square sunglasses trend which has made a noteworthy comeback, the Sestini TRE features voguish lilac tinted lenses and a vegan leather pouch for safekeeping. Founder Carlo Sestini says that each pair is ‘designed to last a lifetime’ and that sustainability has always been ‘at the core’ of the brand. In fact, the company is striving to implement a circular economy by 2025.

Parley for the Oceans Clean Waves Archetype 01 square-frame Parley Ocean Plastic® sunglasses, £200, selfridges.com

Environmental conservation organisation Parley has launched a new planet-friendly, luxury line of eyewear produced using marine plastic debris and reclaimed fishing nets. Part of the organisation’s ‘Clean Waves’ initiative – ‘a creative fundraising platform where artists, designers, activists and material scientists unleash their skills to drive the Material Revolution alongside the protection of islands and oceans’, says founder Cyrill Gutsch – 100 per cent of all net proceeds will support Parley’s vital work in safeguarding the oceans, from remote island cleanups to education and infrastructure projects. GPS coordinates have even been engraved on each product to highlight the area you are helping to preserve.

Féroce Beluga Blackout Sunglasses, $125, feroceeyewear.com

Féroce combines American modernity with European flair to create sleek sunglasses you’ll want to wear everywhere. Made to withstand multiple lifetimes, all Féroce sunglasses are made from Mazzucchelli acetate, a high-quality cellulose originating from renewable resources like wood pulp and natural cotton fibres – meaning that each pair is as green as they are stylish. The brand’s REVIVE programme also offers customers the opportunity to sell back their Féroce sunglasses and purchase another pair with credit, preventing unnecessary waste and giving new life to old products.

Jimmy Fairly The Pia Sunglasses, £129, jimmyfairly.co.uk

This French sustainable eyewear brand prides itself on doing things differently. Jimmy Fairly is well aware of the ecological impact their collections could leave behind and does its best to be fully responsible. The brand is shifting towards more eco-friendly production methods, employing Eco Acetate (a plant-based, biodegradable material) to make its sunglasses and eliminating single-use packaging. The brand also recently switched all its shops, workshops and offices to 100% green electricity.

Salvatore Ferragamo Tortoise Sunglasses, £219, ferragamo.com

Ferragamo recently debuted its Responsible Eyewear Collection with a line of women’s sunglasses. The sunglasses feature Acetate Renew™ and BioRay lenses, recycled and renewable materials that are simultaneously high-quality and better for the planet. Packaging also takes on the responsible theme: the external case is in fact made from a blend of linen and cotton, both renewable, biodegradable natural fibres, while the lining is in a certified polyester obtained from post-consumer recycling. Green and stylish.

sprint sustainable blue frame akoni eyewear glasses

Akoni Optima Sprint-A sunglasses, £690, akoni.com

Social obligation drives Akoni’s design. Not only does Akoni use eco-friendly materials and procedures wherever possible, but it ensures its designs are both timeless and long-lasting – which it believes is the key to green success.

Barner Carnelian Flame Osterbro Sun Sunglasses, £56, barnerbrand.com

Barner has launched a bio-based eyewear collection – it’s first sustainable collection – created using castor seeds. Working with Rilsan® Clear G850 Rnew®, a new high-performance material that is 45 per cent biobased made from castor seeds, the unisex collection features the Osterbro, a thick rectangular frame, and the Sodermalm, a smaller geometric frame.

Stella McCartney Cut-Eye Fashion Sunglasses in Shiny Milky Pink, £260, stellamccartney.com

For its SS22 eyewear collection, British luxury fashion house Stella McCartney revives classic shapes and styles with a contemporary lens. Cat eyes are more pronounced than ever, butterfly wings settle in metal frames and colours range from classic black to lilac. Each pair of frames are made with bio-acetate and bio-lenses.

Featured image: Sestini

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