Food
Farmers
Sustainable Living
Living Planet
News
It’s the 4th of July and on top of all the Americana apparel, one of our personal favorite outdoor BBQ accessories are sunglasses. They keep you from squinting, protect your eyes and everyone looks cool when wearing them. If you’re in the market for a new pair of shades and are looking to make a difference with your purchase below is a list of eco-friendly and socially responsible companies to start your sunnies search.
These shades are sleek, sustainable and have an added value–they can float. WearPanda is a company that earned its initial funding off of Kickstarter and has a long lasting mission to “change the environmental and social impact of sunglasses”. Each design is hand crafted from sustainable bamboo and a portion of each purchase funds TOMA to give one person in need an eye exam and glasses.
PAPP UV is a new sunglass company, currently in the beginning stages of earning their Kickstarter funding and are using cardboard as materials for their designs. Unlike the WearPanda sunglasses, these shades should not be dipped in water. They are lightweight, thin and made of 100% recyclable cardboard.
Vuerich B is a company based out of Barcelona that recycles old skateboards and turns them into sunglasses. Since skateboards are treated with many different chemicals and colors, these wood sunglasses each have their own unique character that cannot be duplicated.
If you’re looking for a pair of “neat” shades a design from Shwood may be the perfect addition to your collection. Shwood is an Oregon based company that turns 100 year old whiskey barrels into solar protective eyewear. The deep hues that are created from the years of aging whiskey enhance the natural characteristics of the wood and make these sunglasses a collector’s item for any accessory enthusiast.
TOMS, the mainstream king of social conscious retail, has a sunglasses line that could add a staple to your summer accessories. Although these designs are not eco friendly, they do help to give back to those in need. When a pair of TOMS eyewear is purchased, the company provides funding to SEVA who then helps to give people in 3rd World countries the funding for eye exams, surgeries and eyewear.
