At Surfd.com we’re big fans of sustainable fashion. That’s why we were excited to receive a couple of pairs of Eco Eyewear’s new Eco Ocean sunglasses in the mail.
These sunglasses are comprised of materials like recycled ocean plastic, recycled metals and even showcase recycled packaging. They are lightweight, fashionable and the models we received are polarized so your eyes will be protected – and so will our environment.
The packaging is modern and fun with the glasses arriving in a triangular case that has a magnetic clasp and a linen textured outer surface. The inside of the case is blue and suede-like with some text reminding you that these frames are made from recycled ocean plastics.
Included in the package is a soft pouch and a lens cloth, which is made from recycled plastic bottles. It is incredible how waste can be harvested and transformed into excellent quality accessories and apparel. This is the future. During the industrial era, humans could not (or refused to) consider the impact of mass manufacturing processes on our environment. Raw materials were extracted from the earth, electricity burned en masse, cheap labour taken advantage of and products disposed of irresponsibly – often ending up in the ocean.
The plastic island in the Pacific Ocean (also known as the great Pacific garbage patch) is no joke and surfers who have surfed beaches in places like Bali at the wrong time will have seen the carnage certain tides and currents can cause. Paradise has been lost to a world obsessed with packaging and, for many, no easy way to dispose of it. Before blaming Asian nations for the oceanic garbage patch consider that western countries have been selling their plastics to Asian countries for many years. Instead of recycling the plastic, unscrupulous operators simply dumped the waste into the ocean.
As ocean plastics degrade they become tiny microplastics that turn the ocean into a muddy soup – inhabited by the fish we subsequently ingest. Every part of our ocean has been impacted. According to Plastic Soup Foundation, “Amphipods that live at the deepest point of the ocean, the eleven-kilometer-deep Mariana Trench, were examined for the presence of plastic. These animals all had plastic in their bodies, almost always microfibers from synthetic clothing.”
Through a process called ‘trophic transfer’ microplastics make their way from creature to creature all the way up the food chain to us. So those boardshorts that you wore in 2001 might be on your plate in 2021.
To make a change we need companies to disrupt our default operating mode. We need creativity to figure out how to convert a problem into a viable business opportunity. Imagine being able to create premium products out of something we’d rather ignore – i.e. the great Pacific garbage patch.
Eco Eyewear are doing just that with their Eco Ocean sunnies. They’ve transformed garbage into quality products that consumers will love using. We certainly did.
Table of Contents
The Eco Ocean experience
From the packaging to the lightweight frames and quality polarised lenses, we have enjoyed every aspect of wearing the Eco Ocean sunglasses. The collection includes men’s, women’s, and unisex in polarized and non-polarized styles. We tried the Eco Ocean Coast and Salt styles. For me, these quickly became my go-to sunglasses based purely on the style – never mind the sustainability aspect!
Eco Ocean “Coast” sunglasses
The Coast is a panto-style frame that brings a vintage feel to a truly innovative product. This is a versatile and lightweight frame with excellent polarized lenses.
Colour: Clay
Size: 48
Eco Ocean “Salt” sunglasses
The Salt model are modern classics that will look good on almost every face. The lenses are outstanding and the glasses are so light that you might forget you’re wearing them. Perfect for cruising in the car or socialising.
Colour: Ink
Size: 53
What makes Eco Ocean sunglasses unique?
Eco Eyewear is using ocean-based plastics and marine litter to create its newest collection of frames: Eco Ocean.
Eco Eyewear teamed up with the non-profit Waste Free Oceans organization to collect used plastics from local fisherman and ensure their nets, ropes and trawls don’t end up in our waters. The waste is checked, cleaned, dried and prepped to be extruded into plastic granules that become Eco frames.
The result is a lightweight, comfortable and stylish frame with a smooth, matte finish in ocean-inspired shades, such as aqua, ink and clay. Not to mention, they’re 100% recyclable! So we can continue keeping waste out of the water and landfills.
| 1 Step: Raw materials | 2 Step: Sorting | 3 Step: Refinement | 4 Step: Eco Ocean |
| We’ve teamed up with Waste Free Oceans, an NGO that works with local fishermen who collect used plastic fishing nets, ropes, and trawls from the ocean. | The raw material goes to a processing center where it’s sorted, cleaned, shredded, dried, and prepped for the next step. | The prepped material gets a bit of pigment and stabilizer (that makes it recyclable!) and is extruded into plastic granules that are ready to be molded. | All Eco Ocean frames are created from recycled ocean based plastics. Because plastic has no place in the ocean! |
The Eco cases and packaging minimize the footprint too. The fabric of each case and cloth uses recycled PET. And outer packaging and inserts are made from recycled paper.
Reviews from the web
ECO always wants to be tangible and accountable driving a large scale impact, that’s why they collaborate only with very serious and certified organizations that guarantee a great influence on the environment and the community.
Spectr Magazine
I believe in the power of the right outfit and that style should be for everyone.
@nic.taliaferro
What the Eco Eyewear says
Making a difference starts with making better choices. That’s why we made it our mission to use sustainable recycled metal, castor seed oil, and now ocean based plastics in our Eco frames. Because all big changes come in the form of many small ones.
Eco Eyewear
Together with Waste Free Oceans, we turned more than 30 tons of recycled plastic into eyewear!
Eco Eyewear
Three words to describe Eco Ocean sunglasses
Stylish, sustainable, inspiring
Conclusion
If you’re making more informed purchasing decisions and balancing your needs with those of the planet then these are a great choice for your face. You’ll protect your eyes from bright light while also making oceanic plastic a valuable resource that can be harvested for good.
Buy Eco Ocean Sunglasses
Buy from Eco Eyewear.
