29 Apr 2024
Celebrating Earth Day on April 22 gave us a chance to have a look (again) at how we, in a very plastic-driven industry, are doing our bit to look after the planet.
It’s a tough one – we want light, versatile and sturdy frames for our glasses – and the thinnest, lightest possibly lenses to go in them. We want contact lenses that keep our eyes healthy and everything we have in our testing room to be easy to clean, sterilised and, where necessary, single use.
So, how are we at EYES on St Albans trying to strike the balance between hygiene, affordability and sustainability?
Well…
Our own EYES on St Albans range of frames is made in Italy, as are the Kirk & Kirk and Woodys range of frames.
Known for their innovation, our Italian manufacturers are all committed to using as many natural alternatives to plastics as possible – bio-acetates with a higher percentage content of wood and cotton are becoming the norm.
We’re loving seeing that offcuts of other frames are being used to create new colours – thus reducing the amount of waste during production.
They’re also now sending us frames in biodegradable packaging – and sample lenses made of plant-based starches. They’re perfectly clear, light and we’re seeing no signs of degradation whilst they’re in the shop. Perfect!
When we’re carrying out our eye examinations we do create some waste.
It’s inevitable and exactly what you want in terms of being in a medical environment!
We do recycle what we can but cleanliness is obviously the most important thing!
We’re now getting some contact lenses in much flatter packaging – barely thicker than a credit card. Again, this makes shipping them easier and more efficient and we’re keeping an eye out with our suppliers for packaging that is recyclable.
We know contact lenses are a real challenge in terms of disposing of them and their packaging. If we find any products that meet our standards and have better environmental credentials, we’ll be getting them in for testing.
Glasses that last
With the offers available from high street stores, we know it can be easy to think that you’ll just get new pairs of glasses every time your prescription changes, the frames break or you just fancy something a bit different (or fall out of love with the frames you chose for yourself, in a hurry, from the special offer section! – they’re in it for a reason…)
All the frames we offer at EYES on St Albans are built to last. This means that once Jez has found you the perfect pair (or pairs!) of frames, these can be reglazed when/if your prescription changes.
Reglazing is done (by Jez) in the shop and takes a few minutes. He’ll order the lenses in then let you know they’re ready, you pop in and he’ll change them while you wait.
Fancy some new frames and your old pair being turned into sunglasses? We’ll advise you on the best lenses for your needs – and show you some of the awesome colours that sunglasses that are now available in and get them ordered for you.
And if you’re reading this and don’t wear glasses – you can get involved in Earth Day in all sorts of other ways. How about joining in on one of our Marshalswick Litter Picks?
