Page 14 - Envision - July/August 2020

Cover Story

FR OM W A S T E T O W O W
A GUIDE TO
ECO-FRIENDLY

MATERIALS
co-conscious consumers are
somewhat spoiled for choice
Ewhen it comes to frame
/ mod. Lowdown 2 CORE / materials. Here are some of the most
popular choices:
COMPANY: SMITH (SÀFILO GROUP) “Smith’s ‘CORE’ program is an extension of the ‘Evolve’
sustainability effort we established almost 10 years ago, combined with our corporate CELLULOSE ACETATE
social responsibility efforts. The CORE program established internal guidelines for
evaluating sustainability initiatives, based on feasibility, cost and most importantly, One of the most common materials
impact. This drives our priorities on how to do our best work for the outdoors used to make sustainable frames,
community.” acetate is manufactured by purifying
Eric Carlson, Global Brand Director the cellulose found in cotton linters
and wood pulp. While both can
Collection: CORE plastic sunglasses be harmful environmentally, they
Material: 100 per cent recycled post-consumer water bottles can be harvested sustainably and
Aside from stainless-steel barrel hinges, each frame is made entirely from five recycled increasingly are. And unlike plastic,
plastic bottles. The polarized lenses are made from Smith’s castor-oil-based Evolve acetate bio-degrades in under a year
material. Each durable, lightweight frame features embossed logo detailing, if submerged in water or compost.
eliminating the use of adhesives, and each pair comes with a microfiber bag made from
recycled plastic bottles, and boxed in 100-per-cent-recycled packaging. BIO-BASED ACETATE
Launching the series is the Lowdown 2 CORE, with the styling and features of Smith’s Bio-based acetate contains naturally
top-selling frame, enhanced with a recycled approach to sustainable manufacturing. derived plasticizers so biodegradation
Popular Smith styles, including the Eastbank and Shoutout designs, will launch with is an entirely toxin-free process.
environmental considerations in August. WOOD
ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE: Reclaimed post-consumer wood
The CORE Collection embodies Smith’s responsibility to its community to deliver is non-allergenic and each piece is
products that enable the brand to make consistent and measurable steps to reduce unique due to wood-grain patterning.
its environmental impact, while helping promote and support causes that affect the It is a popular material to work with,
entirety of the outdoor and active communities as a whole. but not as robust as acetate.
BAMBOO AND CORK
Plentiful worldwide, bamboo grows
rapidly in a variety of conditions. It’s
lightweight and strong, yet flexible.
/ mod. Abondance /
Cork is also a sustainable material
/ mod. Courage / but it grows more slowly.
RECYCLED MATERIALS
COMPANY: FANIEL EYEWEAR “Because sustainability has always been at the heart of our Post-consumer aluminum is popular
mission, our recycled acetate art frames are environmentally friendly; so that Art is in for use in metal frames. A growing
sync with tomorrow!” number of companies use recycled
Anne-Marie Faniel, Creator. plastic waste.
Material: Recycled cellulose acetate Faniel Eyewear produced ophthalmic frames and CASTOR OIL DERIVATIVES
sunglasses made from recycled cellulose acetate in France for several years before
launching a manufacturing facility in Val-Morin, QC last January. The oil from castor bean plants is
a vegetable-derived alternative to
The company’s eyewear is all handmade from recycled waste acetate, which is a petroleum-based plastic products.
byproduct of the production process. A new machine, now in development, will
enable them to triple their production capacity and do several thicknesses of acetate at 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY
a time, to create unique, multilayered acetates. This option allows companies to
Faniel recuperates all of the waste from every frame it produces, including the hard acetate greatly reduce the waste typical in
pieces and the acetate saw blade. Designer Anne-Marie Faniel and her husband, Patrick acetate frame manufacturing. Very
Bolduc, are now developing a process to use acetate saw blades in new frame production, little material is needed so frames
meaning the process will be completely waste-free. n are typically lightweight.
E

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