SOLO EYEWEAR
SOLO Eyewear has been handcrafting sunglasses out of recycled bamboo
for about three years.
Recently, the California-based company, which also ships its products to
Canada, introduced a new collection of eco-friendly shades that are made
with recycled plastic. To create both lines, SOLO works with companies
to divert materials from landfill so they can be repurposed into
sunglass frames.
For the bamboo sunnies, SOLO partnered with a flooring company to use
their scrap pieces of bamboo to create the temples. The idea for the second
line, according to SOLO co-founder and managing director Jenny
Amaraneni, came while company officials toured a factory that specializes in
injection-molding and produces eyewear for major brands.
“We noticed that major brands produce a substantial amount of plastic
waste during their production process. We saw an opportunity to utilize
this plastic waste in the composition of our frames. We began testing and
found that by incorporating 20 per cent of plastic waste in our frames,
we were still able to maintain a high-quality product that is durable and
consistent in colour,” Amaraneni tells Optical Prism.
Both eyewear collections were launched with the help of crowdfunding
campaigns.
SOLO Eyewear also donates a portion of its profits to non-profit organizations that provide eye care for people in need. To date, Amaraneni says
the company has funded eye care for more than 11,000 people in 32
countries. For more information, visit www.soloeyewear.com.