Sustainable Sunglasses (and repair services)
The UK market for sunglasses is huge (especially for designer shades). But that’s an awful lot of disposable plastic frames (tortoiseshell is now illegal, due to being from an endangered species). No sunglasses can be plastic-free, as the lenses are made from plastic. But for now, you can better frames, and brands that accept old sunglasses for recycling, and sell in zero-waste packaging.
Choose sunglasses with 100% protection against UVA and UVB rays (tinted and polarised lenses may protect against glare). Wraparound styles are better to protect skin at the sides of your eyes (don’t wear them on your head, as this stretches the frames, as your head is wider than your temples).
Never use tanning beds (UV levels are up to 100 times more powerful than the sun, and they can damage your eyes and eyelids, even with goggles).
For prescription eyeglasses, NHS offers free eye tests for people on low incomes (or with sight problems). And you also qualify for a voucher to use towards the cost of them.
Donate unwanted sunglasses at drop-off points for Lions Clubs (scrap material is sold, to fund their work to help people’s sight in global south countries).
Keep lenses clean by washing in warm water and a little biodegradable dishwash liquid, then rinse and dry. If you launder the lens cloth, use a microfibre filter (due to synthetic fibres).
Also read our post on sustainable spectacle frames.
There’s a caveat here, as most sunglasses frames are made from recycled or partly plastic. This means that if your your specs fall down a drain, you lose them at the beach or they fall off a boat, they still break down into millions of microplastics, and get ingested by marine creatures.
So take good care of them (and try not to lose them!) You can buy wooden frames, but they are few and far between.
Waterhaul (made from Cornish fishing waste)
For garden pottering, Waterhaul is a good Cornish brand, which uses collected fishing waste to offer naturally-coloured sunglasses. You can send them back for recycling (although they are sold with lifetime guarantees).
This brand also offers naturally aqua-coloured frames, from recovered fishing waste.
Proud (sustainable spectacles from Spain)
Proud (Spain) offers metal and cotton acetate frames, designed to be industrially composted. Sold in eco-friendly packaging, these again are only sold wholesale to opticians.
Peep Eye Wear (preloved frames & repairs)
Peep Eye Wear sells vintage sunglasses glasses, to avoid buying new. It also offers a ‘reglazing’ service for scratched lenses, to avoid you throwing them away. You can order these to try on at home, before you buy outright.
These guys can also repair hinges, replace sides, nose pads and tips – and offer a Peep Polish to remove scratches. They can even remove dog bites on your glasses!
Coral Eyewear (sustainable ski goggles)
Coral Eyewear offers a more sustainable option for ski goggles, if you practice adventure sports. Again, these are made from partly recycled ocean waste).
Sustainable Sunglasses for Children
BioSunnies is a more sustainable brand, in a range of colours. They have flexible durable frames for active children, and polarised lenses for UV400 protection (to shield eyes from UVA and UVB rays).
Are Sunglasses Really Necessary?
Of course, animals don’t wear sunglasses, so do we need them? If you don’t go out and stare at the sun much, maybe not. But holes in the ozone layer and higher temperatures, means that cataracts (a top reason for vision loss) is common in countries where people don’t wear sunglasses.
Other risks include increased chance of macular degeneration, photokeratitis (sunburned eyes) and even eye cancers. Those who work outdoors and people who live near the equator, are at greatest risk.
