Australian eyewear label Local Supply has unveiled its new spring/summer 21 collection, made from plant-based materials.
Following five years of research, testing and trialling of materials, Local Supply has introduced five new plant-based styles as well as relaunching a selection of the brand's best-selling designs in the eco-friendly materials.
Local Supply's plant-based resin is derived from castor bean plants, grown in semi-arid areas which don't compete with food crops for land.
Once the plants are harvested the resin is produced in a facility that is powered by biofuels.
By using this plant-based alternative Local Supply’s carbon emissions are reduced by 50% when compared with the crude-oil based plastics used in other eyewear frames.
Speaking on the collection, Local Supply founder Sean Satha said that COVID allowed the brand to implement the changes it had in the pipeline.
"Traditional eyewear production is extremely labour and material intensive, with over 90% of raw material ending up as (non-recyclable, non-bio-degradable) scrap on the factory floor.
"The slowdown earlier this year (due to COVID) gave us an opportunity to implement some major improvements that we’d been working on for several years.
"As a result, our latest range represents a huge step forward in terms of sustainability, design and innovation.
"By implementing zero-waste production processes, we’ve been able to minimise our environmental impact by using a sustainable Swiss-made plant-based resin throughout our entire new range, while still keeping our starting price under $100," he said.
To produce each frame, Local Supply uses a custom injection moulding process.
The process makes 10x more frames per kilogram of raw material than that of traditional acetate production, allowing for more efficient and waste free production.
The new SS21 collection is available now and retails for between $75-$110.