You've been framed...

Amelia Collins

04 March 2013

Well strictly speaking I've been framed. I slightly dread it when the optician tells me I need new glasses, the daunting prospect of having to select a new pair is not one I relish. Thankfully I have found a solution.

Our Make It Better campaign has made me realise that recycling and reusing products is not enough. I would like to do something about how products are made. And this is where my glasses dilemma comes in. There are only a handful of brands that offer recycled spectacles - which is great as it narrows down my choice of frames enormously.

Less choice, you might say is a bad thing. To which I say only if the choice is poor. My shortlist of suppliers shows that the latter is the case when it comes to environmentally friendly specs.

Buying eco friendly spectacles

Transitions Optical and Modo Eyewear's Eco collection have some fantastic looking frames (including the frames I am sporting above), all made entirely from recycled materials. I particularly like the parrot on the homepage. See how easily distracted I am from the job in hand?

Element from Glasses Direct have 10 styles all made from recycled metal or acetate and priced from £95. Sounds good to me and the frames look good too.

Colin Leslie eyewear do a range of bamboo frames as do Icu eyewear, but only reading glasses. I don't personally like the idea of monoculture plantations, so I'd plump for Icu as they use a mixture of reclaimed plastic, recycled metal and sustainable bamboo.

How to recycle spectacles

It seems there's an even greater choice when it comes to getting rid of old glasses responsibly. I'm hoping that by the time I'm ready to get rid of mine, the joy of having made a decision will make this step a little easier.

KODAK Lens and Vision Aid Overseas "runs a nationwide spectacle collection scheme which operates to raise money for Vision Aid Overseas and ensure spectacles are recycled in an environmentally-friendly way"

Frame savers will replace the lenses in your glasses, so you can reuse the frames. Sadly after 3 years of nieces and godchildren ripping my glasses from my face I need a new frame, otherwise this seems like a great option.

I've also learnt that I could donate my glasses to a theatre company, but I wouldn't want to think of thespians around the country falling flat on their face on stage thanks to my prescription.

Apparently many opticians collect glasses and donate them to charities.

Amelia Collins, Creative Communications team

Do you have any eco-friendly tips for spectacles?

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