A huge part of changing consumer behavior is critical towards improving the health, and future, of our planet. Through providing real-life education about the products around us, and being humble in the fact that we will all need to continue to improve on our own sustainability actions, Paper Shades aims to bring the design and thinking change to support the actions of sustainable consumer choices.
But why sunglasses? 4 reasons:
Its a common consumable product that everyone is familiar with, it requires no training.
We use them when we are out having fun, being social and enjoying the sunshine. And since they’re a consumable, we tend to lose or break them whilst enjoying the outdoors.
Sunglasses can be made with credibility of sustainability, at an efficient scale, and with the right choice of design, materials, and processes that are adaptable for the future.
To prove sustainable actions do not need a extortionate price tags.
WHAT
Full Transparency
Paper Shades consist of 5 components:
Frames, are made from recycled paper. The top layer if printed is virgin paper.
Hinges, are made from a grade of stainless steel which will rust and degrade in the elements.
Rivets, made from iron and will also rust and degrade in the elements.
Packaging, is made from virgin American kraft paper. Requires no glue and interlocks together to form a case.
The UV400 lenses, are made from thin polycarbonate which can be recycled.
Adjustable
Whatever your face shape, head size, age or skin colour, Paper Shades does not discriminate. Our shades are adjustable and made to fit.
Environmental
Impact
Changing the game on eyewear, required a non-radical common sense approach. This lead to every step of the life of a pair of Paper Shades being sustainable.
Resourcefulness - Rather than looking to develop new materials, it was easier to look for existing sustainable materials and from there adjusting to a design that was manufacturable for purpose. Significant time and interest was made to qualify and maintain these sustainable resources.
Ideation & Development - Even the earliest development parts that helped guide the design of the sunglasses were all made from recycled paper. Parts were laser cut so development production could be done quickly and locally, and without the unnecessary capital draining setup costs. Future development continues to adopt this low carbon approach.
Shipping - Paper Shades weight only 40g (0.04kg) including the packaging, and have a thickness of no more than 1.5cm. This is due to the nature of the flat sheets of the frames combined with lightweightness of paper. The smaller the package, the greater potential for reducing carbon footprint during transportation.
End of life - All products reach a point technically known as catastrophic failure, i.e. they break. All materials used in the production of Paper Shades are recycleable. With the exception of the lenses, all materials are biodegradable. But rest assured we’re working towards a fully biodegradable product.