For eyewear, circular fashion starts from the source

This article was sponsored by Eastman.

Consumer demand for sustainable fashion products continues to grow. In a study by sustainability marketing expert Shelton Group, 42 percent say buying green products is related to who they are. In fact, 26 percent, unaided, can name a brand or product they buy – or not – because of the manufacturer’s environmental or social record.

What makes fashion green has everything to do with what it’s made of, says Eastman’s research. Since eyewear crosses the line between fashion and functionality, resources are critical. The inputs must be sustainable to ensure the longevity of the final product, reducing the environmental impact of unsustainable agriculture, logging and logging, as well as water pollution.

In the past, transitioning to sustainable resources – including recycled content and bio-based content – ​​was a costly undertaking that was out of reach for most brands. Whether you’re handcrafting a pair of luxury frames from acetate paper or needlepoint frames for the masses, you can find sustainable materials thanks to new recycling technologies.

However, because the eyewear industry lags behind others in issuing guidelines for how materials should be used, recycled and disposed of, recycled content claims are often supported by little data.

Be careful with green washing

Eastman insists that its value chains be third-party certified to ensure that recycling processes are verified and that user messaging is supported by reliable data. Our company and our partners work with the ISCC PLUS international certification standard for sustainable and traceable supply chains to ensure authenticity in the materials we use to manufacture our products. This third-party certification provides transparency to track recycled content at critical points in the value chain, allowing brands to make meaningful claims.

Learning from industry peers

Helping consumers make informed choices about sustainable eyewear is not an endeavor that any company can take on alone. Driving the industry towards standards and guidelines around sustainability claims will take collaboration within and beyond the industry. If companies are willing to seek out partners you haven’t yet met, including startups, materials manufacturers and NGOs, to move the industry forward.

Join Eastman and two major eyewear companies as they discuss the transformation of their entire portfolio to sustainable materials.Learn more about the key collaboration in our sustainable eyewear journey. This one-hour webcast highlights:

• The latest consumer research on sustainable fashion accessories
• Ways members across value chains can join forces to effectively lead a full transition to a sustainable portfolio.
• Key lessons and best practices from two major eyewear companies on how to adopt sustainable materials quickly and successfully
• How to build an effective message about sustainable materials and molecular recycling to get buy-in from internal stakeholders and consumers

Click here to view the webcast.