Wires - the startup changing how eyewear is made and worn
by Startacus Admin
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Wires is an innovative London-based startup that's on a mission to bring sustainability to the eyewear industry
In the UK alone, 74% of people wear corrective lenses, be these contact lenses or glasses. Billions of glasses are made every year, and millions are thrown away every year. The most common material for making glasses is plastic, a product of the oil industry, which is the biggest polluter in the world.
If you’re unclear how much glasses could contribute to that, plastic-framed glasses are often cut from a block of plastic, with up to 80% of the plastic being discarded and contributing to the microplastics in the ocean already killing ocean life. It might not be controversial, then, to say that perhaps we need a change.
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London-based eyewear startup Wires thinks the same, and is on a mission to solve this issue. They are doing this in a number of ways with their Forever Wires line of optical glasses and sunglasses.
Firstly is the modular nature, meaning that the lenses snap onto the frame and can be thrown away when scratched or cracked, and can be swapped out for different lenses as the need arises, saving on multiple pairs of glasses. One wire frame, many glasses. Next is what makes throwing away those lenses less damaging than it might sound: sustainable bio-nylon. This is sourced from the oil of castor beans, while the temple tips are made from natural rubber from rapeseed oil, both removing reliance on the petroleum-based plastics normally used. The lenses themselves are also made from an ‘ecological resin’ partially made with those castor beans. Lastly, instead of cutting the rims from blocks of plastic, they are 3D printed with zero waste.
In June, Wires launched a Kickstarter to get their Forever Wires line to the next level and truly bring sustainability to the eyewear industry. They finished this campaign in July with just over their £20,000 goal. Rewards go out in Spring, and we look forward to seeing where the startup goes from here.
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Published on: 5th August 2021
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