It is our duty to maintain sustainability and reduce plastic waste, which causes irreversible damage to our planet. We now use twenty times more plastic than we did fifty years ago. There is no denying that climate change and global pollution are genuine threats that can no longer be ignored. The rescue mission to save our planet starts at home and, in our case, at our two practices in Edinburgh.

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Sustainable Frames

It’s encouraging to see new manufacturers innovating and producing frames that are made from sustainable materials. First up is Sea2See, a seastainable eyewear brand that utilises plastic waste and discarded fishing nets from the ocean. They make a single frame from one kilogram of collected and recycled marine plastic. The waste is collected by fishers in different parts of the world such as Spain, France and West Africa. In return, Sea2See will provide the fishing communities with free eyewear every year. The optical frames and sunglasses are handmade in Italy by a family firm who have been in the optical business for over fifty years. Sea2See do not use any products of animal origin and their entire collection is Peta-Approved Vegan. You can hear founder and CEO François van den Abeele talk about the entire process in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1doecueREDI.

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Eco Eyewear is another manufacturer that makes their eyewear from 95% recycled plastic, bio-based castor seed oil, and recycled ocean plastic. They’ve been manufacturing sustainable frames since 2009 and are the first sustainable eyewear brand in the world. Their sunglasses range, Eco Ocean, are made from ocean waste. The Eco Eyewear optical frames can be supplied with a very stylish and modern clip-on. Eco Eyewear is also about giving something back and formed a partnership with Trees for the Future. For every frame Eco Eyewear sells, they will plant a tree. You can read more on the Eco Eyewear including their range of sustainable sunglasses here.

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We are actively expanding our range of sustainable eyewear. A recent exciting addition to our eyewear range includes the highly fashionable All Saints frames made from renewable acetate.

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We are a long-term and proud stockist of Silhouette Eyewear and have a large display of their stylish, minimalist, and timeless eyewear in our Elder Street Practice. They are the only eyewear manufacturer in Europe with EMAS-certified (the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme of the European Commission) environmental management. On the 31st October 2024 we are hosting an exclusive Silhouette Day. Please keep an eye on our social media for more details.

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Refillable Spectacle Lens Cleaner

What about the products to clean spectacles? Disposable wipes might be convenient, but they tend not to be environmentally friendly. At our three practices in Edinburgh, we offer a way to reduce plastic waste with our refillable lens cleaner. Rather than throwing the bottle away once empty, it can be refilled in our practice at no extra cost. The cleaning solution is completely natural and does not contain any chemical additives, and therefore can be used on all types of spectacle lens materials, coatings and surfaces.

We all have a responsibility to take care of our planet for current and future generations. Together we can increase and improve sustainability, reduce plastic waste and raise environmental awareness. We only have one planet, let’s look after it.

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Article written by Veronique Kootstra | Eco Champion

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