SUSTAINABILITY AND IMPACT.

598 million people in Africa alone have no access to electricity. Without electricity families have no clean source of light, leaving millions to rely on expensive and dangerous alternatives. Many use homemade kerosene lamps which are a poor source of light; they emit toxic black smoke, eat up to 15% of a family’s income and are extremely hazardous. For every pair sold we distribute solar light to remote communities in Africa through our Share Your Sun partnership with SolarAid

THE FIRST EYEWEAR B Corp IN THE UK

 

In April 2020 Bird became the first UK eyewear company to become a certified B Corp. This is about making a public statement that Bird are a force for good.

Certified B Corporations are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit, and are committed to prioritising the environment and society in the way they do business. They are third party verified and legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. This is a global movement of people using business as a force for good.

Materials

 

A key aspect of our supply chain is understanding where their raw material is sourced from and the supply chain that supports it. In choosing our suppliers we gather as much information as possible, including ISO9001 certifications along with all the necessary FDA and CE compliance, certifications for wood use and non-toxic conformity. For a number of manufactures, further scrutiny and technical testing for CE compliance has been undertaken by Bureau Veritas. None of our materials are derived from animals or exploit animals in any form.  All of our products are classed as vegan and animal cruelty free.

 

We use cellulose acetate which does not contain any oil-based plasticisers and conforms to ISO 14855-1 (2012). It's made by hand in Italy by the oldest and most well-known acetate producer Mazzucchelli. Water based acrylic dies are used in our colouring of woods and our eco-cork cases have been certified to conform to ROHS directive and ISO 17226. Our cleaning cloths are made from recycled PET bottles by KYcloth Co. 

 

 

RECYCLING AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY

 

 

The majority of our frames can be recycled in some form. Our bamboo frames can be shredded or broken up and placed in standard garden compost bins, and our laminated wood/aluminium frames can be separated and aluminium layers (10% of the frame) can be recycled as normal. We can often re-use elements of frames such as arms and work with a local UK frame repair company Spec Care to minimise wastage.

We encourage our users to take advantage of our recycling programme, where by sending a frame back for recycling gives them 50% discount on the next pair. Providing a circular product cycle with maximum effectiveness; helping us understand how we can improve durability and minimise waste.

 

SUPPLIERS AND WORKERS

 

 

Our frames are assembled by skilled technicians from Dochange Eyewear and Forever Eyewear who are considered among the best manufactures unusual frames and niche materials. Bio Acetate production is from Italian firm Mazzucchelli, established in 1849 they are a worldwide leader in the manufacturing and distribution of Cellulose Acetate. Cork case material is sourced from Portugal and is a fantastic renewable material, harvested between every 8-12 years.

 

 

We work closely with our suppliers and maintain regular contact throughout the year, meeting in person once a year alongside video calls and hundreds of emails. Our main suppliers have confirmed to us that their work forces conform to the ILO declaration of fundamental principles and rights to works. This includes no child labour of any kind, no form of forced labour, freedom of association and fair and equal pay. The gender split in our main manufacturing workforce is roughly 60% female and 40% male, and we know women in leadership positions in all of our main manufacturers. In many cases we get to know teams and workers well, from meeting in person, receiving updates from the manufacturing floor, along with the occasional team away day or team holiday snap.

CARBON GOALS

 

 

We currently offset carbon miles and from 2021 we are committed that 100% of our overseas shipping will be moved to rail, following the silk road transit route. We're committed to becoming a carbon negative company by 2025 where we'll extract more carbon than we produce. This will be through increasing our partnership with SolarAid and bringing in new initiatives that support the global climate goals EP100, EV100, RE100 and new forest cultivation (more on this soon).

Packaging & Shipping

Our packaging is both recyclable and biodegradable. Shipping and packaging supplies come from Packhelp, Box & Seal and Rajapak.

Box and Seal are a company with a strong environmental commitment, we partner with them to produce our 'nest' boxes which form the majority of our packaging. Our shredded nesting material from Rajapak contains 80% recycled material. Our mailer bags for consumer shipping are made from sugarcane, these are sustainably sourced, carbon neutral and fully recyclable as certified by Enviro.

 

“Looking good is one thing – but doing good is so much more important. Share Your Sun is a way to connect with the bigger picture and contribute to a more sustainable world”

If you would like to know more about our brand story, products or Share Your Sun project, or have any questions, please email us.

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