Being mindful of impacts on the environment doesn’t have to come at the expense of business. A new range of award-winning eco-friendly frames demonstrates that it’s possible to make some green while also being green.
Wandering around the globe are about 3,500 people wearing a smile of contentment.
That’s because not only are they wearing glasses that look good, but their fashion choice has also been beneficial for the environment. And there are 3,500 extra trees around the world to prove it.
The glasses are from the award-winning Project Green range launched in September 2023 by Eyes Right Optical, one of Australia’s leading wholesalers and distributors to the independent optical practices.
For every pair of Project Green glasses sold, a tree is planted in a partnership with One Tree Planted, an organisation dedicated to global rejuvenation efforts.
The environmentally friendly frames are made from a bio-degradable acetate and produced by manufacturers using zero-waste processes. Also, acetate cut-offs, no matter how big or small, are recycled to be used in future products.
Many of those happy faces passed through one of Horsfalls Optometrists’ two stores, in the Victorian towns of Echuca and Kyabram.
Ms Jess Bussell, practice manager for the business, which employs seven optometrists over two locations, says the Project Green range has been a popular one since they started stocking it about a year ago.
“We stock a lot of Eyes Right Optical brands and have a great relationship with them as a business, so for us it was natural that when Project Green came along, we would be interested in putting that in.”
She says it was not always easy to make a product that was eco-friendly and still affordable in the eyecare industry, but “Project Green is probably one of the first to have done that”.
It’s also manufactured with quality in mind, with Eyes Right Optical positioning the brand as the “Tesla of sustainable eyewear”; a high-end, environmentally-friendly option that doesn’t compromise on quality, style, look, or feel.
Bussell and her team appreciate how thorough Eyes Right Optical have been in providing genuinely eco-friendly products with Project Green eyewear. “They’ve attacked the environmentally friendly point from multiple different areas, not just ticking the minimum standard of what they need to do to get that certification.
“The acetate that they use to make the frames is biodegradable, it comes in a bio-degradable case, there’s ‘X’ number of trees planted in our country, and any of their wastage gets recycled.
“It’s easy to say eco-friendly when you’re doing one thing to make a difference, but their entire concept has ticked boxes across the range.”
That was also appreciated by the customers.
“It’s not just surprise, it’s the wow factor,” says Bussell. “We’re just so used to everything being made of plastic, and patients who are buying glasses from us, it’s just not something they had considered they might see in their lifetime.”
Those customers also appreciate that supporting the planet can be achieved while looking good and not having to spend a fortune.
“They are quite a fashionable frame; they don’t scream to the world that you’re being eco-friendly, and you don’t have to take out another mortgage just to do it,” she says. “They’re in the middle price range, so they’re not out of reach.
“When we tell the customers they’re eco-friendly, they compare it to the other frame they liked, and that can be the reason why they buy it – they’re buying a product anyway, they might as well buy the one that supports the environment.”
Which is important to the staff selling the glasses as well.
“It’s one of those things that within our team, we’ve naturally got a few people who are really passionate about it, so they’re more likely to talk about it and tell our patients.”
It’s also important to the people behind Horsfalls Optometrist.
“As a business, I think if you’re not talking about the environment, not making even small changes, then you’re not really being responsible.
“If we can make a difference now, you know, every little bit counts.”
Making that difference is part of the reason Eyes Right Optical introduced the range in the first place.
Ms Lisa Wymond, co-owner and national brands manager, says the company recognises that consumers are increasingly prioritising environmental responsibility, creating a growing demand for more sustainable eyewear.
But that didn’t need to be at the expense of quality or style.
“We want to empower individuals to make a positive impact on the planet while expressing their personal style,” she says.
The high end, sustainable eyewear category is still niche but growing, she says.
“Originally, bio-degradable acetate colour options were quite limited but as the segment grows, the colour offerings have grown with it.”
“Project Green has just released some beautiful new models that are in a wider variety of colours, which is exciting to see the possibilities in the luxury eco-friendly segment expand.”
Those releases will also come in a new eyewear case as the company looks to innovate further.
Currently made of reconstituted leather, it will soon be made of cork.
She says the sale of Project Green glasses and the partnership with One Tree Planted have resulted in more than 3,500 trees being planted globally, with more than 1,200 of those in the Amazon rainforest.
A year since launching, there had been a “great response” from stores around Australia.
“Practices have really embraced the range and are championing it and what it stands for to their patients,” says Wymond.
“They are seeing that patients are becoming much more environmentally-conscious and are actively looking for this alternative.
“We’re seeing uptake in those practices that have their finger on the pulse and are in tune with their patient wants, needs and values. They are retaining patients who are looking for a more eco-friendly option, while also attracting new patients that appreciate what the practice stands for.”
Those customers tended to be “environmentally-conscious individuals who prioritised sustainability in their purchasing decisions”.
“They are likely to be socially aware and concerned about the impact of their consumption on the planet. This customer values high-quality products that last but also seeks eco-friendly alternatives.”
They also appreciated innovative design and a stylish aesthetic.
Wymond was also proud that Project Green had won the sustainability category at the ODMA Awards of Excellence 2023, which highlighted “Project Green’s outstanding commitment to sustainability within the eyewear industry”.
“The award underscores Project Green’s innovative approach to sustainable design, which incorporates eco-friendly materials like bio-acetates and compostable demo lenses.”
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