What are Helios Eyewear’s eco-friendly sunglasses made of?

What if buying eco-friendly sunglasses actively contributed to reducing ocean waste and your environmental impact?

Helios Eyewear, a pioneer in sustainable eyewear frames on the island of Mauritius, offers high-quality polarized and 100% UV-protected sunglasses to perfect your individual fashion style and help you to positively reduce your carbon footprint!

From innovative manufacturing and recycling processes to eco-responsible materials used to craft the sustainable collection, discover what the eco-friendly sunglasses from Helios Eyewear are really made of.

Grilamid

Eco-friendly sunglasses material 1 - Eyewear made out of 58% vegetal oil — Eco-friendly sunglasses material 1 – Eyewear made out of 58% vegetal oil

Grilamid is a revolutionary bio-based plastic polymer! Thanks to its high bio content made up of 58% vegetal extracts, it significantly contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions…which is truly remarkable! 80% of Helios Eyewear‘s production consists of frames made from Grilamid.

There is also the manufacturing process (known as Triflex Technology) that consists of layering the materials in the following order: Grilamid TR 90 Green, Griflex and Grilamid TR 90 Green, resulting in more durable frames that will last longer longer allowing the product to have a prolonged shelf life.

Recycled Eyewear

Eco-friendly sunglasses material 2 - Eyewear made from recycling old or broken eyewear — Eco-friendly sunglasses material 2 – Eyewear made from recycling old or broken eyewear

We have eco-boxes in our Helios Eyewear stores all across the island! We encourage you to bring in your broken or old eyewear (of any brand) that you wish to dispose of, and simply drop them off in one of our eco-boxes instead of in a bin which will eventually create waste on the island. In return, we offer you a discount of 15% off on a brand new eco-responsible Helios Eyewear.

These old or damaged pairs are given a second life in our factory, by being broken down into small chunks and re-injected into new eyewear! Our recycled eyewear is known to be more durable than organic materials and they conscientiously contribute to our island’s circular economy.

Recycled Production Plastic Waste

Eco-friendly sunglasses material 3 - Plastic production waste recycled into new eyewear — Eco-friendly sunglasses material 3 – Plastic production waste recycled into new eyewear

Islanders at heart, Helios Eyewear understands the importance and the urgency of making sustainable decisions when it comes to the natural resources they use. These values can be seen in action where the plastic production waste from the factory’s manufacturing processes is grinded into smaller pieces and used to inject new eyewear. Although these sunglasses come in limited color options due to its origins, they undoubtedly reduce plastic waste in the production line.

Recycled PET plastic bottles

Did you know that around 5 recycled PET plastic bottles are used for the creation of 1 eyewear? Yes, that is all it takes!

To make this project successful, a collaborative approach has been embraced with different local companies and individuals. This collaboration allows Helios Eyewear to source the PET plastic bottles in Mauritius, get them cleaned and grinded into pellets to then create a unique collection of recycled sunglasses. These are also available for kids! Explore Helios Eyewear kids collection here: Kids Sunglasses

Injected wood fibers

Frames made out of wood fibres and resin — Eco-friendly sunglasses material 5 – Frames made out of wood fiber and resin

Wood fiber is a very well-known sustainable product as they proliferate fast. Since they are cellulosic elements that are extracted from trees, there’s no need to cut down trees to make wooden sunglasses! The wood fibers are bound with resin and then injected into eyewear, making the frames aesthetically pleasing, comfortable and lightweight. No wonder they look stellar!

Handmade Bamboo

Celebrated for its durability and sturdiness, it is no surprise that handmade bamboo made it to our list of eco-friendly sunglasses!

Although these frames share similar aspects with wood fiber, they will be your partner in crime when it comes to outdoor activities as they are designed to stand the harshest weather conditions.

Recycled Fishing Nets (Coming soon!)

Eco-friendly sunglasses material 5 - Eyewear made from recycling used fishing nets — Eco-friendly sunglasses material 7 – Eyewear made from recycling used fishing nets

Creativity and thinking out of the box is the root of our environmental and social practices. With this in mind and always pushing the boundaries when it comes to finding more eco-friendly alternatives to plastic, we decided to embark on a new eco-responsible adventure with the material Nylo®. Nylo® is the first French recycled polyamide6 made from 100% used fishing nets. Following the same process for our recycled eyewear, recycled plastic production waste and recycled PET plastic bottles, the granules derived from used fishing nets will be injected into new frames to join our eco collections. Stay tuned for more!

100% Bio-based – Cellulose Acetate (Coming Soon!)

Eco-friendly sunglasses material 6 - Frames made from a 100% bio-based and biodegradable cellulose acetate — Eco-friendly sunglasses material 8 – Frames made from a 100% bio-based and biodegradable cellulose acetate

Cellulose Acetate is a bio-based polymer derived from natural resources. What makes this material so unique is that it is made from cotton linters (seed fibers) and citrate-based solvents (non-toxic bio solvent).

What does that mean for you if you wish to buy our bio-based eyewear? Well, in addition to having a 100% bio-based frame, it also has an impressive level of 0% toxicity for the environment and is biodegradable.

Tell us, which of these eco-friendly sunglasses do you fancy? Share with us in the comments below!

Written by Tasha Ayacanou-Bundhoo aka The Lovely Brunette