Sunglasses have always made the outfit, and with these eco sunglasses you get the best in style and a clear conscience as they’re all made from sustainable materials.
Sunglasses fall into the amorphous “accessories” category, but they’re anything but. Not only do they offer protection from the sun’s potent UV rays to keep crow’s feet at bay, but they also prevent the sun from burning the eyes themselves, which can speed up degeneration. Plus, let’s be honest, an outfit, especially during warmer months, isn’t an outfit until shades are on.
Not all sunglasses are made equal. Most are still made with virgin materials like zylonite and polycarbonate, both come from plastic. That’s changing though as brands embrace eco-materials in eyewear.
Just as the weather warms and the sun gets ready for its long season, these are the best sustainable sunglasses options for your 2022. But hopefully, they’ll last you much longer than that.
Best eco sunglasses
From luxury labels to celebrity collections and everything in between, these are the best sunglasses no matter what your style preference.
1. Stella McCartney
From the first name in sustainable design, Stella McCartney brings her eco ethos to your face with 100 percent bio-acetate sunglasses and finished with a palladium studded logo at the temples.
2. Chloé
Chloé delivers a retro flare with these aviator sunglasses for women featuring a havana and pink nude frame combined with gradient rust lenses for a classic and effortlessly chic look. The bio-based acetate frame is embellished with metal inserts and includes drop-shaped openings at the temple tips. 100 percent UVA and UVB protection.
3. Salvatore Ferragamo
Luxury label Salvatore Ferragamo has been steadily increasing its sustainable selections. Eyewear is no exception. The brand launched into the category in 2021 with a range of frames, including sunglasses made from recycled and renewable materials. It uses Eastman Acetate Renew, which blends bioplastic from wood pulp with recycled materials leftover from industrial practices. BioRay lenses are made from castor-oil-based plastic. The cases are sustainable, too, made from Lino 39, which combines natural, renewable, and biodegradable linen and cotton outer and post-consumer polyester lining.
4. Garrett Leight
Beloved by celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio and the Kardashians, luxury eyewear label Garrett Leight released its first sustainable collection earlier this year.
The Venice Beach-based brand has always prioritized quality materials and processes, including its high-quality ZEISS lenses. But the new GLCO eyewear is the label’s first to use an eco-acetate for its frames. The bio-based and biodegradable materials reduce emissions by 60 percent compared to traditional plastic frames. They also require less than half of the energy to produce.
5. Electric x Jason Momoa
You can be fairly certain that if Jason Momoa has lent his name to a product or cause, it’s making the world a better place. Case in point: the Aquaman star recently partnered with Electric on a second sustainable frames collection.
The new collection features two colorways including a matte pink and a rose tort, the same colors in another Momoa collab — the sustainable shoes he launched with On the Roam. The Electric sunglasses are made from Italian M49 bio acetate and come in recycled chipboard boxes and recycled nylon microfiber storage and cleaning bags.
It’s not just sunglasses getting all the eco-love. Warby Parker’s sustainable eyeglasses turn old lenses into new frames.
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