Page 12 - Envision - July/August 2020

Cover Story

FR OM W A S T E T O W O W
COMPANY: FELLOW EARTHLINGS “We are focused on our footprint as a manufacturer and creating a
model that is sustainable with our recycling program. We are always striving to be better and do
more when it comes to sustainability.”
Co-founder Sydney Segge
Collection: RE:FE (Recycled Fellow Earthlings)
Material: Recycled handmade acetate
PEI-based Fellow Earthlings specializes in custom, handmade-to-order ophthalmic frames and
sunglasses. Their exclusive in-house acetate recycling program processes what would otherwise be
waste material from manufacturing into 1/1 recycled acetate frames. While a lot of RE:FE recycled
acetate is ready to ship in premade shape/material options, the company also offers a wide range
of choice and customers can select their shape, material (stock or recycled), and lens combination,
which is made to order in four to six weeks.
Fellow Earthlings’ Canadian sunglasses collection features vintage leather-covered metal frames,
which were originally made in Charlottetown’s Tannereye factory in the late 1980s.

ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE:
Fellow Earthlings planted more than 400 trees around its Charlottetown workshop and ran a ‘No
Pipe in the Strait’ t-shirt campaign to protest plans to pump effluent waste from the Northern Pulp
mill into the Northumberland Strait on the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
/ The RE:FE Collection /

COMPANY: ECO EYEWEAR (MODO) “With ECO, we strive to do every-
thing we can to help make our world a better place. We do so
through thoughtful, sustainable production, diversity in our
workforce, and by partnering with non-profit organizations.
We have a responsibility to leave the world a better place than / mod. Hyder /
we found it.”
Rebecca Giefer, CEO, Americas.
Collection: Eco Biobased SS20: six bio-based optical styles and
four bio-based sunglasses / mod. Aubrey /
Material: 95 per cent recycled acetate and recycled
stainless steel material / mod. Indra /
ECO’s bio-based frames use castor seed oil, making them ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE:
sustainable, comfortable and lightweight. The company ECO works with Trees for the Future to plant a tree for
also re-invented their protective bags, using 100 per every frame purchased. This supports clean air and
cent biodegradable natural fibers. The fabric of each empowers entire communities, helping them to restore
case and clip-on sleeve uses recycled PET (polyethylene their environment, grow more food and build a sustainable
terephthalate), and all outer packaging and inserts are made of future. To date, the One Frame, One Tree program has planted
recycled paper. over two million trees in sub-Saharan Africa.

COMPANY: DRAGON EYEWEAR (A SUBSIDIARY OF MARCHON EYEWEAR)
“Dragon’s sustainable initiative began in 2019 when we
started producing all injected styles with plant-based resin. / mod. DR9000 /
By incorporating these styles into the collection, Dragon
solidifies its commitment to social responsibility, while tying it / mod.DR Renew LL ION /
back to the brand’s heritage in surfing.”
Thomas Burkhardt, Senior Vice President, Global Brands, / mod. DR9002 /
Marketing and Design
Collection: Upcycled: three unisex sun and three unisex
ophthalmic styles Packaging uses eco-friendly materials, including recyclable
Material: Recycled plastic water bottles polybags, and the inside lining of the optical case is made from
recycled fishing nets.
The process begins with bottles being manually separated and
selected. Recycled waste is washed thoroughly and cut into ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE:
chips, which are pressed into small pellets, then melted down Dragon partners with The Surfrider Foundation on its Clean
and injected into a frame. This helps reduce Dragon’s carbon Water Initiative, a multi-tiered approach to tackling ocean
footprint, while providing the lightweight, durable quality it is pollution. The Foundation has over 150 chapters and clubs
known for. worldwide, more than 50 of them in the U.S. and Canada.

10 / JULY — AUGUST 2020 / www.ENVISIONMAGAZINE.ca /