Le Specs and Sunshades Eyewear creative director Hamish Tame reveals why the brand is pursuing sustainable design.
While it felt so exhilarating celebrating Le Specs’ international success, we came to realise that it was our responsibility to take action and play our part in driving sustainability in the eyewear industry.
We embarked on our sustainable journey in 2016 to launch our first sustainable brand The Book Club with recyclable blue light glasses as an incubation project.
The brand went on to become an incredible success, particularly in the USA, launching the collection with a 'start-up' mentality that freed us from the constraints that we are often bound to running the larger successful brands in the Sunshades Eyewear portfolio.
It became evident to us that we need to approach the rest of our business from a similar perspective.
In early 2018, we started working on the concepts for a sustainable Le Specs collection to make a significant difference, and not merely to jump on the green bandwagon.
Focusing on every detail in the supply chain and componentry has meant there were hurdles and roadblocks at every corner; however, this only makes me prouder with the final result.
Each sunglass in the Le Sustain collection (campaign pictured) contains 23% meadow grass and 77% post-consumer recycled plastic, sourced from a green biorefinery in Germany, while the packaging is waste-free.
We have eliminated polybags and replaced with a protective pouch made from 100% recycled PET water bottles, packaged inside a 100% recycled cardboard box printed with soy-based ink.
As the catalyst for long term transformations across the broader Sunshades Eyewear portfolio, we know that this is only the beginning.
Given the excitement and support shown by our retailer partners in implementing meaningful change across the supply chain, I know that this is something we can work through as an industry to make a lasting positive change.