Green politics has become embedded in all aspects of life and retail optics ignores it at its peril.
If you view ethically sourced eyewear, recycling and biodegradable eyewear as a gimmick or a fad you may well be missing a trick.
If the feedback from Opti Munich (page 18) is anything to go by ethical consumerism within optics is set to go from strength to strength this year and builds on trends established in recent times.
Ironically, as with so many things in optics, the visual impact of environmentally friendly eyewear is not easy to see. An oil based plastic frame appears to consumers identical to an ethically sourced castor oil or flax-based acetate. This forces retail to talk about the product more. The back story is becoming ever-important as it allows the retailer to engage with the customer.
Alongside biodegradable materials is the recycling angle. Sea2See (page 16) describes one man’s effort to both rid the sea of discarded plastic and create materials for new eyewear. The strides made by the contact lens business to recycle plastics, as evidenced by Johnson & Johnson’s tie up with Terracycle, show the importance of the issue.
Another powerful angle on green frame materials is that they often go hand in hand with artisan manufacture. Last year Optician profiled Viega (02.11.18) which combines reclaimed wood with hand crafted designs, Vinylize’s re-use of old records (Eyestyle) and Ochis Coffee’s (16.02.18) use of coffee grounds to create hand-milled biodegradable pieces.
Many of the wooden frames showcased this week join others in using a natural material to shout their green credentials. They also use hand crafting to create high value products. This niche market is gathering pace with many more companies readying product for release later in the year.
Fad or future? Who knows, but the green consumer is a reality.