Opti 2020 is all over. Did you read my show round up blog post? If not, you can here. In that blog post I said I would write about a brand called EOE eyewear. The reason being that they are covering a very relevant topic of the moment which is sustainability and eco friendly eyewear. There is a difference between the two. It is very different being an eco friendly brand from being a sustainable brand. I will cover this topic in another blog post in the next few weeks.
Sustainable eyewear from Sweden
The environmental issue I think it is something that we can no longer ignore. Over the years, more and more eyewear brands are putting more thought into this, and rightly so.
EOE eyewear captured my attention because they are doing something quite individual. They fully recycle old frames, not just parts of them, but all of them. They are not just taking in EOE frames to be recycled, but all brands. Recycling an old frame may sound easy but it is a complicated process especially when you have tiny metal hinges, nose pads and arms to extract from the acetate before you can think about recycling them. You see what I mean?
Sustainable eyewear from Sweden
The founder of EOE Eyewear has spent many years trying to overcome the issue of recycling old frames. Many people said it is an impossible task but finally a couple of years ago someone said, “let’s do this and let’s give it a go” and they did it. The brand is not actually a newcomer to the industry, it started back in 2010 and the focus has always been about producing sustainable eyewear.
So, what make them a sustainable brand? They ensure from the start to finish they are doing everything they can to minimise the impact their product has on the planet. From how the materials are sourced to using as much local resource as possible to reduce their carbon footprint. The frames are currently hand made in Italy which is a bit far from their head quarters in Sweden, but the brand’s ambition is to one day move everything to Sweden adding to their sustainability mission.
Sustainable eyewear from Sweden
I personally loved the thin metal collection with the gem stones. The chain to hold the stones is made by a local Swedish jeweller. The stone also comes from a local source. A very dainty, elegant range of frames. Check out the brand for yourself here.