7 Sustainable Prescription Eyewear Brands Worth Checking Out
This post was last updated in 2023.
Are you struggling to find prescription glasses that are sustainably made? Not sure what to look out for? Or you don’t want to go digging through websites to find the information you need?
I have you covered.
Especially if you are after Australian brands that offer sustainable alternatives.
Australian-owned brands that offer sustainably-made prescription glasses and eyewear include Good Citizen, Ozeano, Mari & Clay, Dresden, Vilo, Bambies and Specsavers (through their Rewear range).
Here’s a quick snapshot of these brands and what they have to offer:
| Brand | Price | Healthcare Rebate | Frame Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good Citizen | $135 - $229 | No | Recycled plastic bottles |
| Ozeano | $199 | No | M49 bio acetate |
| Mari & Clay | $299 | Yes | Bio acetate |
| Dresden | $75 - $250 | Yes | Virgin materials (Nylon) |
| Vilo | $80 - $129 | No | Wood |
| Brambies | $109 - $149 | No | Wood |
| Specsavers Rewear | 2 for $249 | Yes | Partially made from recycled and bio based materials |
In this blog post, you will find a review of each of these brands, considering aspects that make these brands sustainable as well as aspects that concern you, as a consumer.
You will find all this information in one place so you don’t have to go searching pages online to understand the options available.
Some notes before getting into the review:
- All brands I looked at were Australian owned but there are some really good brands on this list so check them out even if you are not Australian.
- Where I note that the glasses are manufactured overseas, it means outside of Australia.
- In all cases both men’s and women’s styles were available. The majority sold unisex, gender-nonspecific styles.
- In all cases, you will need to know your current prescription. In some cases, you will need to provide your pupillary distance (PD), which you will not find on your prescription. The brands that require this will provide details on how to measure your PD, so don’t worry too much about that.
The materials used to make prescription glasses are no different to the materials used to make sustainable sunglasses. So if you want to know more about the materials used by these brands, refer to Sustainable Sunglasses – Know What to Look Out For.
So that all said, let’s get onto the list of brands offering sustainable prescription glasses.
Good Citizen takes used plastic bottles and turns them into 100% recycled glass frames. Not only are the frames made from recycled plastic but the hinges are as well. Their lenses are made by Carl Zeiss Vision. And all products are designed and made in Sydney.
Price: $139 – $229
What’s to like:
- They sell readers, polarised prescription and clear prescription lenses, fitted to the frame
- 100% Australian made
- Frames made from 100% recycled plastic bottles
- Hinges are made from the same recycled material
- Modular design so you can customise and repair easily
- Repair service offered
- Takeback service offered
- Basic designs to suit most people
- Packaging made from recycled materials and is recyclable
- Free shipping over $173
- Postage for returned items is covered
- Virtual try-on available on some model
- Carbon-neutral operations
- 4.8 out of 5 based on 21 Facebook reviews
What’s not to like:
- Bifocal, multifocal and progressive lenses are not available
- Health care rebates not offered
- Not all glasses are available for virtual try-on
After visiting a heavily littered beach in Cambodia, the owners of Ozeano formed an environmentally friendly eyewear brand located on the east coast of Sydney, Australia. They aim to provide the highest quality eyewear, with the lowest environmental impact.
They have opted for 100% Mazzucchelli bio acetate frames, considered the world standard in sustainability for bio acetate frames – they are sustainably and ethically produced. Prescription glasses come with a premium 1.5-index single-vision prescription lens fitted to the frame.
Price: $199
What’s to like:
- Single prescription and polarised prescription lenses are available, fitted to the frame
- Bifocal and multifocal lenses available on request
- Superhydrophobic, scratch-resistant, anti-reflective lenses
- Frames made from 100% M49 bio acetate
- Top-of-the-range, robust, Italian-made double wire core hinge, complete with Teflon-coated screws to create a hinging system that will last
- Takeback service is offered with a 25% voucher for new purchases
- Basic designs to suit most people
- Virtual try-on available
- Packaging made from recycled materials and is compostable
- Certified B Corp
- 5 out of 5 based on 7 Facebook reviews
What’s not to like:
- Manufactured overseas
- No repair service for frames
- No free shipping but set at a fixed rate of $10 in Australia and $20 international
- Return shipping at the customer’s expense
- Health care rebates not offered
The owners of Mari & Clay are two optometrists based in Melbourne, Australia. They started the company because they were concerned with the growing waste in their industry and wanted to create eyewear that was durable, affordable and eco-friendly. They rely on 100% bio acetate frames.
They don’t offer prescription glasses, but they do prescription sunglasses. All lenses are polarised and meet Australian and international standards.
Price: $299
What’s to like:
- Polarised prescription CR39 NuPolar lenses are fitted to the frame
- Anti-scratch lenses
- Heath care rebate offered
- Frames made from 100% bio acetate
- They use high-quality metal hinges that are riveted through the temples and frame fronts to ensure the sturdiest construction
- Lifetime warranty on craftmanship, covering manufacturing defects
- Repair service offered
- Takeback service offered with 25% off the next purchase
- Basic designs to suit most people
- Packaging made from recyclable materials
- Free shipping
What’s not to like:
- Does not offer clear prescription lenses
- The suppliers of the bio acetate material are not clear. They only note it: “is derived from responsibly harvested cotton seed and wood pulp”.
- Likely manufactured overseas
- Cannot try out the glasses at home or online
- Return shipping at the customer’s expense
- No external reviews could be found
Dresden is the brainchild of Bruce Jeffreys, a frustrated glass wearer annoyed with how often the products needed replacing and how expensive they were to replace.
Teaming up with co-founder Jason McDermott, they sought to put the glass wearer at the centre of their businesses. With this approach, they sought to reduce prices, adopt sustainable practices and provide functional, versatile, fun and sturdy glasses with low-cost backups.
Price: $75 – $250
What’s to like:
- Single-vision, reading and multifocal lenses are available
- Anti-reflective and anti-scratch lenses
- They only offer one design option however, it is a classic design and comes in four sizes and multiple colours
- Lenses are interchangeable as a result
- Frame fronts and arms are locked together with a plastic pin – so no fiddly screws or tools are needed
- Frames and arms are interchangeable as a result
- 10-year warranty on frames
- Virtual try-on available or try on in store
- Packaging made from recycled materials
- Healthcare rebates are available
- Made in Australia
- Rated 4.4 out of 5 on productreviews.com.au
What’s not to like:
- Limited design options
- The majority of frames are made from virgin materials. They use a recyclable Swiss nylon called Nylon 12. However, they have experimented with limited-edition glasses made from milk bottle caps, recycled wood chips and beer keg caps.
- No repair service (but there is a no questions asked 10-year warranty)
- No take-back service
- No free shipping but it is a $10 flat rate in Australia and $15 internationally
- Return information could not be found
Vilo is a family-run business based in Australia, focused on producing glasses that are individually made and handcrafted using natural materials. They have embraced the use of wood because of the natural warmth and uniqueness it has to offer.
They believe “in today’s crowded world, people want products that display a sense of individuality and a closer connection with nature and wood allows that opportunity like no other material.”
Price: $80-$129 for frames only
What’s to like:
- FSC-certified laminated wood frames
- Virtual try-on available
- Partial take-back service offered – you can donate old usable frames of any brand and receive 20% off a new Vilo product. The old frames will be donated to those in need.
- Packaging made from bamboo
- Free shipping in Australia and $12 to the rest of the world
- Returns are allowed within 30 days
What’s not to like:
- You pay for the frames only – the frames are designed so you can easily insert your prescription lenses
- It is not clear how easy it is to insert your lenses
- It is not clear where the wood is sourced from and how the wood is laminated
- Limited design options
- Likely manufactured overseas
- No health care rebate offered
- Warranty limited to 12 months and a 200-day accident cover
- No repair service
- No take-back service exists for damaged products
- It appears return shipping is at the customer’s expense
- No external reviews could be found
Bambies started as a “way of giving back to and celebrating nature.” They produce frames using bio-based materials, using rosewood, ebony, and carbon fibre with a non-toxic plant-based treatment to ensure durability and strength.
Price: $109 – $149
What’s to like:
- Frames made from FSC-certified wood
- Free delivery within Australia and $10 elsewhere
- Returns are available within 30 days
What’s not to like:
- The glasses come with standard blue light filtering lenses so you need to provide the prescription lenses. They are designed with an invisible cut and integrated screw that allows you to replace the lenses however they note on their website that it can be hard to find an optometrist to work with wood frames.
- Appears other materials, like bio acetate and metal, are used in their frames, however, this is not clearly stated on their website
- It is not clear where the material is sourced from
- Likely manufactured overseas
- Limited design range
- Unable to try it on at home or in person
- Health care rebates not offered
- No repair service for frames
- No take-back service offered
- No warranty details
- No information on packaging could be found
- Return shipping appears to be at the customer’s expense
- No external reviews were found
Specsavers is one of the largest glass retailers in Australia. It was formed in 1984 by an Australian couple, Doug and Mary Perkins. They aimed to create quality, affordable eyewear accessible to everyone.
They are now looking to make more of an impact. Being carbon positive by 2035 is one of the things they are working towards.
Price: 2 for $249
What’s to like:
- Frames come with a single-focus lens and it appears you can order bifocals and multifocal lenses. Stores will give you that option.
- Lens features such as polarization, ultraclear, superclean, extra thinning, reactions and ultra drive tint are available (but it does cost extra)
- Frames partially made from recycled and bio-based materials
- Reasonable design range
- Virtual try-on or try on in store
- Free delivery within Australia
- Returns are available within 90 days
- Healthcare rebates are available
What’s not to like:
- It is not clear what materials are used in the frames and where the material is sourced from
- Likely manufactured overseas
- No repair service for frames
- No take-back service offered
- The warranty is limited to 2 years
- No information on packaging could be found
- Return shipping appears to be at the customer’s expense
- No external reviews for Rewear could be found but Specsavers as a whole has very mixed reviews on Trustpilot – 3.6 out of 5 stars
And that covers it for Australian sustainable eyewear brands.
Except, no review on sustainable glasses would be complete without mentioning the fact that buying second-hand is always best. And that is possible with prescription glasses provided what you have on hand is something an optometrist can work with.
Whether you buy glasses second-hand or have some old frames on hand that are still in good condition, you can have the lenses replaced. Not all optometrists can work with all frames, so it is important to check with your optometrist to see what they can do for you.
In Australia, you could send your frames to Optically and they can “reglaze” the glasses for you. Reglazing is just the term they use to describe fitting new prescription lenses to old frames. And they say they can work with any frame you have – because they are specialists in this field. So worth keeping in mind.
If you have lenses but no frame, it’s a little tricky. You could check with your optometrist to see if they can reshape the lens to fit into the frames sold by Vilo or Bambies. Otherwise purchasing a frame only from your optometrist is an option. They should be able to guide you to a suitable option.
And if you don’t have either frames or lenses in good condition, then buying new is the next best option and hopefully, this blog post will help you with that.
I will admit, when it comes to prescription eyewear, the range of sustainable choices is limited. But there are options worth checking out.
xxx Tahsin
Related FAQs:
Are glasses sustainable?
Whether your glasses are sustainable depends on several factors. You need to consider how often you buy replacement products and whether you make use of what you have on hand. If you purchase new glasses you need to consider the materials used, how they are made and the end-of-life options.
The options for using second-hand frames or lenses were discussed above.
When it comes to the materials used in making frames, whether you are looking at prescription glasses or sunglasses, the considerations are very similar.
For that reason, refer to this blog post on sunglasses to understand how to make your prescription eyewear purchase a sustainable one: Sustainable Sunglasses – Know What to Look Out For
What are sustainable glasses made of?
Sustainable glasses or eyewear are typically made from recycled plastics, bio acetate, wood, cork, bamboo or recycled metals. This is considered sustainable when compared to traditional frames, which are made from plastics or virgin metals.
Can glasses be made from recycled plastic?
There are very few Australian companies making prescription glasses from recycled plastics. The few that do include Good Citizen and (in part) the Specsavers Rewear range. There are more options when it comes to sunglasses – the sustainable sunglass market is expanding and there are a lot more companies using recycled plastics to make sunglass frames.
For more information about frames made from recycled plastics check out Recycled Plastic Sunglasses – Innovations Worth Supporting
Can glasses be made from recycled metals?
There are no Australian companies that make prescription glasses or readers using recycled metals. Recycled metal is a material that is sometimes used in making sunglass frames, yet even then the market is very small. The companies that do use recycled metals tend to use steel offcuts and recycled aluminium.
For more information about sunglasses made from recycled metals and a list of brands that sell these products check out Recycled Metal Sunglasses – From Waste to Wearable
Are plant-based plastic glasses better for the environment?
Plant-based glasses are typically made from bio acetate. Bio acetate is considered a “plant-based plastic” and is more sustainable because no petrochemicals go into making the frame. And because it is predominantly plant-based, it can biodegrade at the end of its life under the right conditions.
If you want to know more about bio acetate, this blog post on plant-based sunglasses should have all the information you need: Plant-Based Sunglasses – What Are They Made From Really?
Are wooden glasses sustainable?
Glass frames made from wood are considered more sustainable than frames made from plastic or virgin metals because the production of wooden frames has a lower carbon footprint than the traditional alternatives. However, this does depend on whether the wood is from renewable sources.
I don’t have detailed information on wooden frames, however, bamboo is a similar material. Further information on bamboo frames can be found here: Bamboo Sunglasses – The Journey From Forest to Frame
Which is better plastic or glass lenses?
When it comes to lenses, the choices are between plastic and glass lenses. Plastic is better because it is durable, lightweight and inexpensive. However, glass is better because it is scratch resistance and offers the best optical clarity. Both have their drawbacks environmentally.
Unfortunately, environmentally friendly options for lenses are largely non-existent. Recycled lenses are largely unknown in the market. Bioplastic lenses do exist, however, no major sunglass brand uses these bioplastic lenses.
So it becomes a choice between plastic or glass lenses. Neither materials are great for the environment – plastic is problematic because of its use of petrochemicals and glass is problematic because it requires higher temperatures, and therefore more energy, to form.
It is a matter of personal choice and preferences here, rather than environmental considerations.
After more information? You may be interested in....
Don’t Throw Them Away – Practical Uses for Your Old Glasses – if you have old eyewear, don’t trash it! Explore this guide, which covers options to repair, reuse and recycle glasses.
Sustainable Sunglasses – Know What to Look Out For – learn about the different options available to make your sunglass purchase a sustainable one.
9 Sustainable Sunglass Brands Worth Checking Out – for a list of Australian brands making sunglasses from sustainable materials and a summary of the pros and cons of each.
Sustainable Choices for Your Eyewear – Your Options Covered – for information on reusing old frames and lenses and where to get glasses second-hand.
Replacing New Lenses in Your Old Frames – Is it Worth it? – for further information about getting new lenses into your existing frames, in particular, how much this will cost
Plant-Based Sunglasses – What Are They Made From Really? – read this if you want to know what “plant-based” sunglasses really mean and what makes them a sustainable option.
Recycled Plastic Sunglasses – Innovations Worth Supporting – learn about the types of recycled plastics used in sunglasses and the different brands that sell this sustainable option.
A Close Look At Bamboo Sunglasses – Sustainable or Not? – for a great overview of bamboo as a material source, allowing you to judge whether it is a sustainable option or not.
Recycled Metal Sunglasses – From Waste to Wearable – discover the unusual source materials used in recycled metal sunglasses and the studies that show they are a sustainable option.
