Recently, the eyewear fashion industry has introduced the concept of making eyeglasses with the help of recycled vinyl records. It is a perfect example of converting waste into something stylish impacting people’s lives out there. Now, do you have any curiosity to learn how the waste of old records kept or thrown here and there converted into eco-friendly eyeglasses? Let’s jump into this blog.
The manufacturing process of eco-friendly eyewear
We are going to learn about the complete process of how waste is given the form of style through the process of vinyl recycling below. But one thing is for sure here: the complete technique involved in making eco-friendly eyewear takes care and prioritizes efficiency, and waste reduction, and causes very little environmental impact.
Material collection
First, sustainable materials are to be collected either from landfills (where they are kept as waste) or other sources. This is the very fast part of the whole process of working on glasses made from recycled materials. In the past few decades, many sustainable eyewear brands have been working towards creating eyewear with the help of old vinyl records, which are collected by the brands for further processing to convert them into style.
Not only vinyl records, but there are also many other waste materials like other types of recycled plastics that are collected from discarded fishing nets, bottles, and plastic containers. Yes, these are the materials that you just throw away considering them as unusable. But guess what, the eyewear brands take them away to convert them into something useful, i.e. eyeglasses.
Cleaning and processing
As the brands collect waste, it needs to be purified so that the eyeglasses made from recycled material are of the highest quality. That’s why the second step of vinyl recycling (if the waste material is old records) involves proper cleaning and processing of the records. This step ensures that the final eyeglasses, made from recycled vinyl records, contain no impurities.
Many eyewear brands hire a particular crew for this cleaning and processing step as it needs precision. During the entire cleaning process, the team shreds, melts, or otherwise processes the collected waste materials to prepare them for reuse.
At this step, brands identify that certain objects cannot convert into eco-friendly glasses, whether because of their poor condition or other reasons. Overall, the cleaning and processing part of the recycling process provides a clean foundation for further steps.
Frame molding and shaping
Once the eyewear brand’s cleaning crew decides which waste suits a particular style, it’s showtime to shape the materials into frames. Many brands are using advanced technologies like injection molding today to make the process of creating frames for glasses made from recycled materials easier.
Earlier when such cutting-edge technologies were not present, this step used to be the toughest. But thanks to the innovations in science and technology, processes have evolved that make the process of making frames with minimal waste efficient. With the help of these techniques available, the eyewear brands lay a strong foundation for detailed designs and ultimately lessen the excess material.
Finishing touches
The next step of creating recycled vinyl eyeglasses involves giving the final polishing and finishing to the frames without the help of harmful chemicals. This part adds an extra layer of safety and protection to make the eyewear safe for both human use and the environment.
Unlike vinyl records, you can easily observe many eyewear brands hand polishing the frames made up of biodegradable materials. But why hand polishing when a lot of more efficient techniques are available in the market? Doing it by hand gives a more refined look and that too without disturbing the environment with chemicals.
Assembly
Now comes the last second part of the process of eyeglasses made from recycled material like old vinyl records. It is the time to assemble all the parts to create sustainable eyewear available for the customers waiting out there. During this part, hinges, screws, and lenses complete the frames. Many sustainable eyewear brands support the use of eco-friendly lenses to make sure that their whole eyewear is completely in favor of the environment, i.e. is biodegradable and renewable.
Packaging
Many eco-conscious companies that are in the game of creating style from the waste take care of the packaging as well in the end. They ensure that their eco-friendly glasses go to the customers in eco-friendly packaging itself.
Conclusion
Overall, the whole process of converting waste into style is both an interesting and hard-working one. From the very first part of collecting waste materials very mindfully and carefully considering all the harmful aspects for both human life and the environment to making sure that the final packaging is also eco-friendly, the eyewear brands are creating a huge impact on the global mission of sustainability.
