Communicating sustainable brand stories to patients

A 2024 report into the optical goods market by research firm, Mintel, indicated that 43% of consumers would consider buying sustainable glasses or contact lenses. This demographic was heavily weighted towards younger consumers, the analysts suggested. 

To consider how practices could engage patients in the discussion of sustainability in eyewear, OT spoke with three brands with environmental responsibility at the centre.

When values align

Bird Eyewear became a B Corp in 2020 and focuses on making frames from sustainable materials, such as bio-acetate, recycled metals and repurposed materials. The carbon-zero company is also working to create a circular economy of eyewear. 

Ed Bird, founder of Bird Eyewear, explained that the business has seen its stockists triple in the past 12 months.

“Customers are looking for frames that say something about their values. It’s our job to help them wear what they stand for,” he said.

The brand does see a high number of younger consumers, Bird acknowledged, explaining: “I think that is much in part due to the fact that younger people are bolder in their choices. They know what they want and why they want it. Having a credible, sustainable story behind that resonates with them and their values.”

The brand takes a bespoke approach to working with practices, curating ranges and displays to best suit the local customer base and communicate the brand, recognising that every practice will have its own niche and demographic.

Customers are looking for frames that say something about their values. It’s our job to help them wear what they stand for

Bird suggested that introducing brands with credible sustainability stories enhances the connection between spectacle-wearer and practice.

He said: “It becomes more than just a product. Your story becomes their story. When people ask about their frames, that story is what they are telling their friends and family. The connection between practice and customer becomes really strong.”

“Adding in those layers of the right frame, the right service, the right package, and having that sustainability story, add so much to the customer journey in terms of what people are looking for these days,” he added.

Bird stockists have access to the brand’s recycling scheme and are provided with a co-branded recycling box to collect and send back customers’ old frames to be re-entered into the supply chain.

The brand offers training for practices and has also created a selection of short videos to introduce the brand to practice teams and customers alike.

Sharing the mission

Waterhaul was founded from a frustration over ‘ghost gear’ – abandoned fishing nets – processing the discarded material into recycled eyewear.

Kieran Hill, head of B2B sales at Waterhaul, said: “We’re glad to see that consumers are becoming more aware of the issues affecting our environment and that this is driving more conscious buying decisions. Purchasing products which have a genuine positive impact on the environment is a way that everyone can do their bit.”

Through discussions with customers, the brand has found that interest in its sustainable eyewear tends to be weighted towards demographics over the age of 35.

“That may be because our styles are contemporary and understated, compared to brands in eyewear who are targeting the younger demographic,” Hill said, adding: “We’re on a journey to widen our appeal and marketing to the younger demographic in 2025, though, so we may see a shift in data.”

Finding brands that offer a range of content and opportunities for telling the sustainable story, can help to build rapport while patients try on frames or throughout the fitting stages, Hill shared.

Connecting to the values of the community can also hold benefits of customer loyalty.

“Like with other industries, such as coffee shops, there has been a noticeable increase in customer loyalty to places that align with customer values and create an ‘experience’ rather than a simple transactional relationship between shop owner and customer,” Hill shared.

Like with other industries, such as coffee shops, there has been a noticeable increase in customer loyalty to places that align with customer values and create an ‘experience’

Practices could look to other industries for inspiration on new ways to engage customers and enhance loyalty, he noted.

To support practices to communicate the Waterhaul mission to patients and customers, the brand has created a range of point of sale (POS) materials, made locally in Cornwall, telling the story of the frames and origins of the materials used.

The brand has also introduced a quarterly magazine, Deep Dive, to update practices on developments at Waterhaul.

In addition, each stockist is issued an Impact Certificate at the end of every year, illustrating the positive impact the practice has had by stocking Waterhaul frames.

“We can do that because each frame is made from 100% recycled fishing gear which has been directly removed from the environment,” Hill said.

Tangible impact

Giovanni Lo Faro, CEO international of Modo Eyewear, the group behind Eco Eyewear, suggested: “Sustainability went from a niche, a nice to have, to the mainstream, a must-have across almost every sector.”

The brand utilises sustainable materials including bio-acetate, recycled metal, ocean-bound plastic, and bio-based sources. The brand is carbon negative, through its tree planting programme to offset carbon emissions.

Introducing sustainable brands to the practice shelves means “innovation and providing choice,” Lo Faro said, adding: “Enlarging the offer enlarges their customer base.”

“It’s important for practices to choose brands with strong storytelling, like Eco, which is a carbon negative brand focused on sustainable materials but also on meaningful environmental initiatives,” he said.

Sustainability went from a niche, a nice to have, to the mainstream, a must-have across almost every sector

The brand offers training for practices and has long-term relationships with its stockists, Lo Faro said, adding: “Our team is very involved in all our initiatives and participate in what we do so they know everything about the brand in depth.”

The eyewear company operates what it describes as a ‘360-degree sustainable approach,’ incorporating recycled materials into its packaging, trays and stands, as well as its demo lenses.

The brand also collaborates with non-governmental organisations – teaming up with Waste Free Oceans to collect and reuse ocean-bound plastic.

Lo Faro noted the challenge that lies in sourcing brands that can demonstrate their commitment “in the sea of countless eyewear brands claiming to be sustainable to ride this popular wave.”

Despite this, seeking out the brands that can prove dedication to making a positive impact is important, he suggested, and can influence patient loyalty and trust.

Understanding sustainability in eyewear and backing up claims

Research suggests that consumers may be increasingly open to purchasing products with a strong sustainable story, but for the average member of the public, how easy is it to understand what makes a frame better for the planet than another?

OT asked the three brands for their view on the level of understanding consumers have when it comes to sustainability in eyewear.

Bird reflected: “I think this is an area that probably needs more work from the brands and industry in general – and I include ourselves as well.”

It is important to evidence any sustainable claim, he said, adding that in his view: “I don’t think it is enough in itself to call something sustainable because of a certain material used or a tree planting scheme, without being able to share the rest of the supply chain, carbon miles, or end of life considerations, because there is so much more to a product than one element.”

Bird Eyewear aims to make its supply chain as transparent as possible, he shared, and as a high scoring B Corp, the certification “backs up what we’re claiming.”

“Even then, we’re still not perfect, we’re still learning and making changes and trying to improve year-on-year,” he emphasised.

The brand became B Corp certified in 2020, and following a routine recertification process in 2023, Bird Eyewear’s B Impact score rose to 128.2 (companies are required to score 80 or above to become certified).

Discussing this milestone, Bird shared that it required hard work from the team and a “layering effect.”

He explained: “I think that is what is most important in sustainability. It’s not just that we use bioacetate, so we’re green, or we plant trees, so we’re green, or we give to charity, so we’re green.”

“We do all of these things, and 10 other things, and our staff do X, and we consider Y. Once you have the whole picture, then I think you have the right to say: ‘we’re going above and beyond to make our products sustainable,’” he said.

Hill, from Waterhaul, noted that, as in many industries, consumers are informed by the brands creating the products.

This can mean that, sometimes, they are at risk of being misinformed by companies who “want to appear better than they are.”

He added: “We know that practice owners are becoming more involved with understanding the true sustainable credentials behind the products they stock, but if brands aren’t totally upfront about what their products are made of and use ‘buzz-words’ to promote them, then it will be difficult for practice owners and consumers to make well-informed buying decisions.”

Lo Faro suggested that patients and consumers are more prepared when it comes to sustainable products.

“They choose carefully what to buy, look for certificates about the materials and proof of real sustainability,” he said.

This is why Eco Eyewear cares strongly about certifications, such as its UL certificate, he said.