Sunglasses are an essential item to have, and the number of people buying them is increasing at a rapid pace. This wouldn’t have been a problem, but since manufacturing traditional sunglasses harms tons of animals and pollutes the environment, everyone needs to take a step back and reconsider.
Luckily, some companies decided to step in and save as many animals as possible by making sunglasses from natural products. They also use eco-friendly materials so as not to harm the environment in any way.
The 12 Best Sustainable Vegan Sunglasses in 2022
The following list contains some of the most durable vegan sunglasses you can find on the market. You’ll also find many details about each pair, helping you to choose the one that best fits your face.
1. Zeal Optics Windsor – Most Comfortable
Zeal Optics Windsor’s frames and lenses are made of Z-Resin, a plant-based polymer extracted from the castor plant. This material does not only help keep the animals safe, but it also results in light frames and clear vision.
The light frames make it easier for you to enjoy wearing them all day long without feeling like you have something heavy resting on your nose. Further, the frame has ProFlex rubber on the nose and temple to provide you with the comfort you need on your trips.
The polycarbonate lenses feature 9% Visual Light Transmission, which means you won’t be irritated with the bright sun’s intensity or glare. Instead, you can enjoy natural colors. Further, they block 100% of UV rays, so they protect your eyes even if you spend the whole day exposed to sunlight.
Besides, they are very stylish with their elegant teardrop shape and keyhole bridge. You can also choose from their various colors, including black tortoise with dark grey lenses, camel with horizon blue lenses, matte black with dark grey lenses, and matte tortoise with dark grey lenses.
2. Sunski Madrona – Eco-Friendly Sunglasses
Sunski Madrona are environmentally-friendly sunglasses as their frames are made of recycled polycarbonate plastic. Moreover, the frames are very flexible, so there is a small chance of them getting broken.
Further, being very light and super flexible, they fit comfortably over all face shapes and don’t slip when your face is sweaty, which is something we all suffer from during the summer.
Besides, the lenses are made of cellulose triacetate plastic and offer complete UV protection against harmful sun rays, allowing you to enjoy summer days under the sun like never before! These polarized lenses also reduce glare, so you see everything clearly with no eye strain whatsoever.
Moreover, Sunski offers plastic-free packaging using origami folds that ensure the sunglasses stay safe. Further, they come with a microfiber cleaning pouch.
What if the lenses get scratched? Does this mean that you’ll have to throw your sunglasses away? Definitely not! The company offers replacement lenses, allowing you to throw the lenses away but keep the good frame and save your money.
Further, if you buy Sunski sunglasses, you’ll be paying to save the environment and the animals since they donate 1% of their profits to such humane causes. And you get to choose between two colors: blue and brown.
3. BioSunnies Sunglasses – Great Value
If you want to buy vegan and eco-friendly sunglasses without paying a huge sum of money, go for BioSunnies Sunglasses. They are also fancy and come in many colors, including Amarillo, gris, rosa, negro, and Azul.
These sunglasses are made of wheat straw, and they are biodegradable, so even if you throw them away, they won’t pollute the environment. Moreover, they are flexible, comfortable, and light.
Their lenses are polarized and protect your eyes from harmful sun rays since they are UV400 rated. This means that they offer complete protection from ultraviolet A-rays (UVA) and ultraviolet B-rays (UVB). Besides, they remove any glare from reflective surfaces.
4. 45th Parallel Acetate – Water-resistant
45th Parallel Acetate sunglasses are one of the best sunglasses to wear on the beach or in a swimming pool since they are water-resistant. This also means that you can wear them while working out as sweat won’t damage them at all.
They are made of cotton-based acetate and the wood that helps in making them is sustainably sourced, so there is absolutely no harm to trees or the environment.
Further, their stainless steel hinges and the nose bridge, which gives the sunglasses a unique look, help them stay on your face and make them suitable for all face shapes. They also come with polarized and anti-reflective lenses that offer complete protection against UVA and UVB rays.
Proof Eyewear sunglasses collection stands out among their counterparts, owing to the engraved quote on the inside arm. This pair comes with a quote that says, “Wander On!”. Isn’t this amazing?
Moreover, they come with a microfiber cinch pouch, so you can put them inside it when you don’t need to wear them.
Proof Eyewear is a lovely company to buy from as they help save the environment since they have a Do Good program, and they allocate some of their profits to this program. Moreover, they support health, education, vision, and environmental projects.
5. Eagle Aluminum – Best Aluminum Sunglasses
Eagle Aluminum is yet another fantastic pair of sunglasses produced by Proof Eyewear. They are a little more expensive since they are handmade from recycled aluminum and well-sourced wood.
Further, they come with polarized and anti-reflective lenses, which means that they completely protect you from harmful UVB and UVA rays.
Such glasses are also water-resistant, so you can wear them to the beach or enjoy them in the pool without worrying about damaging them in any way. Their light design also helps make them very comfortable, so you wouldn’t feel irritated if you wear them for an extended time.
Since these are a pair of sunglasses of Proof Eyewear, they have a quote engraved inside them, and that one says, “Respect Gets Respect.”
Finally, they come in three colors, including gold with brown polarized lenses, black with sky mirror polarized lenses, and gunmetal with polarized lenses. And to rest assured that your sunglasses are safe, they come with a microfiber pouch in a wooden box.
6. Uinta Wood – Most Stylish
Unita Wood is a nice pair of vegan sunglasses that are made of sustainably-sourced wood. They are perfect for people who love wearing unique and stylish sunglasses.
They are hand-polished by a sealant extracted from plants, which adds to their beautiful look and makes them water-resistant. Besides, they fit all face shapes, thanks to their stainless steel spring-loaded hinges.
Like most, if not all, of the sunglasses on this list, they offer UVB protection and feature polarized lenses. They also come with a wooden box and a microfiber pouch, so you can take them off without worrying about them getting broken.
They also come with an engraved quote, and this pair’s quote is truly beautiful as it says, “Cultivate Kindness.”
7. Toddy – Best For Broad-Faced People
Toddy is a lovely pair of sunglasses for people with broad or wide faces, as their frame is made especially for this face shape. Toddy’s made of hand-polished cellulose acetate, and its screws are coated with Akulon to enhance durability.
As for the lenses, they are made from CR-39, which means that they offer exquisite clarity and allow you to see real-life colors. Moreover, the lenses are scratch-resistant and block 100% of the UV rays.
Even though the frame and the lenses are highly durable, they come with a frame case and cloth by which you can clean your lenses without scratching them. Further, the company offers free shipping and allows you to return the product within 30 days from the purchase date.
Moreover, if the lenses get scratched within the first year of use, you can return them to the company and get new ones. They are also very stylish and come in two colors: sequoia tortoise and seaweed crystal.
8. Downing – Best Oversized Sunglasses
If you’re one of the people who love wearing wide and oversized glasses, Downing Sunglasses are made for you. Made of hand-polished cellulose acetate, they are vegan and eco-friendly.
Plus, they feature screws which are coated with Akulon, making them very durable and less prone to getting broken. They also come with a frame case that protects them and a lens cloth in order not to scratch the lens while wiping it.
Moreover, the lenses are scratch-resistant and offer 100% protection from harmful UV rays. Further, you’ll enjoy clear and crisp natural, real-life colors because the lenses are made from CR-39.
This pair of sunglasses is available in medium and wide sizes and comes in many colors, including Antique Shale Fade, English Oak Matte, Jet Black, Walnut Tortoise, Hudson Blue Fade, and English Oak.
Since this is another Warby Parker pair of sunglasses, you’ll be able to return them to the company within 30 days of the date of purchase. You’ll also be able to get a free replacement for your lenses during the first 12 months if either lenss gets scratched.
9. Cooper – Most Unique Design
Cooper has the most amazing and most unique design among the rest of the vegan sunglasses on our list. This pair comes with two rounded lenses that are only joined with a thin brow bar.
Similar to all the products on this list, they are vegan and eco-friendly as they are made of custom cellulose acetate and stainless steel. Plus, they are cut from one acetate sheet to ensure that the color parity is well.
Further, these Cooper sunglasses are very durable and less susceptible to damage since they have Akron-coated screws. And you can choose between their two beautiful colors: black oak tortoise with polished gold and jet black with riesling.
The lenses are polarized and made of CR-39, which offers a clear and crisp vision. Further, you can use these sunglasses as prescription ones. In that case, the lenses are made with polarized polycarbonate, which is an excellent material according to current standards as it is impact-resistant.
What’s more, the lenses block 100% of the harmful rays, mainly UVA and UVB rays. Plus, you needn’t be worried about scratching the lenses since they have an anti-scratch coating.
10. Perkins – Classic Look
If you love classic sunglasses, then these are for you. With their burnt honeycomb tortoise, black matte eclipse, and English oak color options, you will definitely turn heads wearing them.
They are also very durable as they are made using hand-polished cellulose acetate and feature Akron-coated screws.
If you want to make prescription glasses, you totally can, and the lenses will be high-quality as they are made from polycarbonate. As for the non-prescription glasses, the lenses will be made of CR-39 to provide natural colors.
Further, the lenses are anti-scratch, so you can put them in your bag with no worries, and they offer complete protection from UV rays, rendering themselves your best friends for the summer.
11. Owyhee Acetate – Best For All Face Shapes
Thanks to the stainless steel spring-loaded hinges, Owyhee Acetate is a beautiful pair of sunglasses that fits all face types and shapes. They are handcrafted from acetate extracted from cotton and wood that has a sustainable source.
Moreover, the lenses are highly durable and offer complete protection against UVA and UVB rays. They are also polarized and anti-reflective, so you won’t get irritated by any glare while looking at a reflective surface, like a water surface or glasses.
This pair has a quote inside that says, “Make a Way,” which makes it a suitable and inspirational gift to buy for someone who has just graduated, for example.
They are also water and sweat-resistant so that you can wear them in the pool or on the beach with no worries. Besides, they come with a wooden box and a microfiber pouch to help keep them safe for as long as you wish.
12. Grove Wood – Best-looking Wooden Sunglasses
As its name implies, Grove Wood is a lovely pair of sunglasses made of wood. Yet, don’t falsely think that they harm the environment in any way in their process of making because they are made of sustainably sourced wood.
Further, the lenses are just as good as the frame as they are polarized and anti-reflective. They also offer complete protection from UVA and UVB rays.
The sunglasses have a gorgeous design as they feature a double metal bridge bar, so you’ll totally stand out whenever you enter a room. They have also got stainless steel spring-loaded hinges, which makes them fit for most faces.
You can wear them while running since they are sweat-resistant. You can also put them on while you’re in the pool because they are water-resistant, which means that there is no way they get damaged when they come in contact with water.
Since these are a pair from Proof Eyewear, they feature an engraved quote, and this one says, “Go Wild For a While.” When you add this to their water-resistant nature, you’ll know that they can be your best friends in the summer!
They also come with a wood box and a microfiber pouch so as not to be broken or scratched. And they come in two colors: tortoise with brown polarized lenses and black with polarized lenses.
What Are Vegan Sunglasses?
Vegan sunglasses are eco-friendly ones. In other words, they don’t harm any animal or the environment in their process of making. You’ll find some of the most common rules among the companies that produce such products in the following.
Have a Mission Towards The Environment
These companies make sure they are using the right resources that don’t harm the environment or animals. And they always look for an alternative and durable material to use instead of the traditional ones that have a negative impact on the planet and living organisms around us.
Do Something Positive
Companies that care about animals and the environment do not believe that selling their vegan products is enough. Instead, they try to do something positive towards the environment, and the animals, like sharing some of their profit with an initiative that works for the environment’s good. They could also plant some trees or provide healthy environments for sick or endangered animals.
The Difference Between Vegan and Cruelty-Free Products
There is a major difference between vegan and cruelty-free products that you must be aware of. And here are the main differences:
Vegan
When a product is vegan, this means that it does not contain any materials extracted from animals. In other words, when you label something as vegan, you refer to its ingredients that are entirely free from any animal materials. Note, though, that items tested on animals can claim to be vegan.
Cruelty-free
On the other hand, when a product is cruelty-free, this means that none of its ingredients, components, or final product have been tested on animals. So this means that it refers to the testing process and not the ingredients, unlike what the vegan label means.
It’s worth mentioning that cruelty-free products can be non-vegan. For example, if they use carmine, lanolin, albumen, honey, cholesterol, beeswax, gelation, and so on. So, the best thing to do is to search for a product that has both labels.
What Does “Polarized” Mean?
As we know, light moves in waves, and as it travels, it keeps vibrating in all directions. Polarized lenses use a thin chemical film that helps allow the light vibrating in a specific direction towards your eyes.
When we are wearing sunglasses that are not polarized, the glare we see is the result of this chaotic movement of light waves when they bounce off a reflective surface like water surface or glass.
For this reason, the polarized lenses in sunglasses are fixed in a specific position that only allows them to let in vertically polarized light. This way, any horizontal reflections are blocked.
How To Check If The Sunglasses Are Polarized?
There are several ways by which you can know whether the sunglasses you’re about to buy have polarized lenses or not. Let’s discuss them below.
First of all, you can wear your sunglasses, look at a horizontal reflective surface, and tilt your head to the right or left. If you see a brightening of the glare when you do this, you can rest assured that the lenses are polarized.
You can also check by tilting your head while you’re looking at your phone or laptop screen. If part of the screen goes dark or blank, the lenses are polarized.
Lastly, if you don’t want to tilt your head, you can grab two pairs of sunglasses and put them over one another so that their lenses overlap. Then, rotate one of them to a 60-degree angle; if it gets darker, you know that the two pairs have polarized lenses. However, if none of them gets darker, this might mean that only one of them is polarized.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Are The Advantages of Buying Polarized Lenses?
If you wear sunglasses with polarized lenses, you’ll probably suffer less from headaches, have your eyestrain reduced, and your vision improved.
2. Do Darker Lenses Protect Us Better From UV Rays?
No. This is nothing more than a wrong piece of information that a lot of people share. Actually, if you wear dark lenses that don’t have full-spectrum UV protection, you’ll be risking damaging your eyes. This is because when you wear dark lenses, the eyes pupils dilate to take in more light and are therefore more exposed to harmful sun rays.
3. Should I Wear Sunglasses All Year Long?
Yes, you indeed should. Harmful sun rays are present in the atmosphere all year long, so whenever you head out, you must make sure to protect your eyes from the harmful sun rays.
4. Does Eye Color Have An Effect on The Amount of Light That Enters The Eyes?
Yes, it does. Light-colored eyes have less pigment than darker-colored ones, and so they allow more light to enter. This means that people with light-colored eyes are more harmed by the sun rays than others, and so they need to wear sunglasses during all seasons whenever the sun’s up.
5. Do I Need To Buy Sunglasses For My Pet?
No, you don’t need to. Since cat and dog lifespans are shorter than that of humans, they are less likely to develop any conditions resulting from their exposure to UV rays.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you now have a better idea about the brands and models that produce some of the best sustainable vegan sunglasses. Yet, if you’re confused, let us highlight some of them.
If you want to buy a pair of vegan sunglasses with the most unique design, go for Cooper as its two rounded lenses are connected with nothing more than a thin brow bar.
In case you’re searching for ones with an engraved quote, you can go for Owyhee Acetate, 45th Parallel Acetate, Eagle Aluminum, or Uinta Wood. Also, all of them are durable, stylish, and offer great protection from harmful rays.
Want to look cool with oversized vegan sunglasses? Buy Downing! They are incredibly stylish and durable. Besides, they come in various colors, allowing you to pick the one that suits you the most. You can also return them in 12 months starting from the day you buy them, which is a huge plus.
And please remember to protect your skin as well with some vegan sunscreen!
