We have made a plan. We will take the necessary steps and over time work our way towards becoming as sustainable as possible while minimizing our environmental footprints.
When we founded Democratic Eyewear our vision and mission was to take responsibility and strive toward being as sustainable as possible in every aspect of the business. That is a big commitment, but we are up for it.
We have carefully selected the products, materials, and suppliers we work with.
Product innovation for the benefit of the environment
Every frame we produce, pack and ship has a negative impact on the environment. But, we´re working on it. More than 60% of our frames are made from acetate – wood pulp and cotton mixed with polymer plasticizers – yes, unfortunately, that´s plastic. Making frames without it is a struggle and improving this is an ongoing battle.
This is where bio acetate comes in: The polymer plasticizers are replaced by biodegradable plasticiserx. This makes the acetate biodegradable once you take out the little metal parts, such as hinges and screws.
Bio acetate is another and improved option, but it is not the perfect solution. At the moment, choice is limited, but we are actively working with our suppliers to develop more colours in bio acetate and new ways of using recycled materials like scrapped acetate, RPET (single-use plastic like water bottles) and upcycling where we convert old and scrapped materials into new useful materials in improved quality….so watch this space!
Currently, 4% of our own acetate frames are made of bio acetate. By the end of 2020, our aim is to increase the use of bio-based acetate and recycled plastic materials in our ranges to 30%.
Case, cloth and packaging
All cases and cloths for our own Democratic Eyewear designs are made from recycled PET and we have removed the cardboard box around our own designed glasses – and we are working with our brands to follow in our footsteps.
We don´t like plastic bags – they don´t match our values. Instead, we are using paper bags made of recycled paper and we are looking into developing our own multipurpose tote bags.
Watch this space: By 2020 we will have our own multipurpose bag made of a mix of recycled cotton and recycled PET. The ink we are going to use to print the bag is water-based, leaving no chemicals in the water when you wash it.
Our suppliers are carefully selected
We have carefully selected the factories we work with and they all live up to the required social, environmental and European standards. They have all been audited by Bureau Veritas and they all work to a strict code of conduct.
The code of conduct is:
- No child labor
- No forced labor
- No discrimination or harassment
- Respectful and safe employment relations
- Living wages
- Overtime compensations
- Reasonable working hours
- A safe and healthy working environment
- A transparent environmental policy that lives up to our standards
We promise that we will keep track of our impact and set clear goals for short and long term change. By being open about our process, we hope that we can inspire our industry to follow in our footsteps. We know that we are a tiny player, but we have great plans. Follow our journey and join us by thinking twice about your own impact.
