The best sustainable sunglasses for summer

Like everything we wear and buy, sunglasses have an environmental impact, but that doesn’t mean we can’t lessen it. With new luxury houses and independent brands spearheading more green initiatives, investing in sustainable eyewear has become easier than ever.

This year, Gucci continued their sustainable ventures by releasing two new sunglass models that were both crafted from bio acetates. French house Chloé, as well as becoming the first luxury fashion house to achieve B Corp Certification last year, have also introduced a variety of bio-based sunglasses in their SS22 collection. Independent eyewear labels are no different, this season L.A. brand Garrett Leight introduced their Eco-Friendly Collection with selected sun and optical models featuring sustainable acetate.

So what exactly is bio-based acetate?

It sounds great, but what does it actually mean? Luckily it's a pretty simple concept. Bio-based acetate feels and looks exactly like normal acetate, but its composition and production is different. Made from a mix of renewable resources and recyclable materials, this makes the acetate just as sturdy but more environmentally friendly due to its biodegradable nature.