We are excited to share another post in our Circular Allies series. See our last post here.
Today we are thrilled to collaborate with another aligned Circular Ally, Shyne Eyewear and share their guest-written blog post! Read on to learn how this group of university students took action after being inspired by a plastic waste challenge they saw in their workplace and turned it into inspiration for circular eyewear fashion. We love how their solution touches on both environmental and social sustainability!
How Shyne Eyewear Began
Shyne Eyewear is a student-run social enterprise from the University of Ottawa that aims to build a community of change makers who can move fashion forward into a sustainable future.
Our story began in 2018, when we recognized the issue of plastic waste in Canada. We had never considered the amount of plastic waste coming from the fashion industry until we were personally confronted with it. Our story began when one of our friends working at a popular retail chain was instructed to throw away plastic hangers after just one use. He would see several garbage bags of full plastic hangers thrown out daily. This was not only a pattern exclusive to his chain but a common practice across millions of fashion businesses in Canada.
The Shyne Eyewear team
After learning about the plastic waste issues we face in Canada, we decided it was our time to help make a change. The vision behind Shyne was to create a product allowing the community to be involved in making a change in the world. We then found ECONYL®, a polymer produced from regenerated nylon sourced from textile waste. This was the perfect material to make our line of eyewear.
Shyne’s vision is to provide a sustainable solution to the country’s pressing issues and build a community of conscious customers in the process. About two and a half million Canadians require vision care but cannot afford access to these services. The average Canadian spends a total of between $240-1000 on a pair of glasses per year. The goal of Shyne is to provide affordable, stylish glasses that also help save the planet, by shifting consumer behaviour.
Shyne Sunnies
Our Process
Our partner Aquafil collects the textile waste, consisting of plastic fishing nets and industrial fabrics from the ocean. AquafilSLO then uses the material collected from the sea to create their ECONYL® regenerated nylon. This ECONYL® is then sent to our manufacturer Danor. Danor brings Shyne Eyewear’s vision to a reality by creating our frames. We then receive the packages and distribute our product to customers with 100% recycled packaging and a handwritten note on seed paper.
Our Future
Shyne continues to grow our brand with brand ambassadors, collaborations, and partnerships. The more we can grow, the greater impact we can have on behalf of our community. We are constantly finding new ways to support the environment and our community in Ottawa by working with and donating to charities. The more glasses we can produce, the more change we can make in the world.
How to Support
Interested in learning more, or supporting Shyne’s work?
Join the Instagram Community: @shyneeyewear
Aside from our environmental goals we want to help support our community. $5 from every pair of glasses purchased goes directly to a local charity
If you want to collaborate or help, email us at hello@shyneeyewear.ca
Written by the Shyne Eyewear team, edited by Megan Bourassa