Boulder-based Zeal Optics offers the world’s first and only plant-based lens for superior clarity and minimal environmental impact.

We tend to think of sunglasses as a fashion accessory, something to be coordinated with outfits, but they’re actually quite important for maintaining healthy eyes. Long hours of unprotected exposure increases eye stress (and squinting), which can lead to headaches. A lifetime of unprotected exposure to the sun’s harsh rays can even contribute to cataracts and growths on the eye, including cancer.

In the past, my clumsiness has prevented me from investing in high-quality sunglasses. What’s the use if I’m just going to forget, sit on, or scratch them within the first 3 days of ownership? A recent chance to test drive some fancy shades from Colorado’s own Zeal Optics changed my mind, however.

Located in Boulder, this boutique eyewear company recently debuted the world’s first and only plant-based, bioplastic lens, called e-llume. Combined with their with Z-resin frames, made from a castor oil-based material, Zeal hopes to lead the way towards completely removing crude oil from sunglass production.

To see how well all that fancy technology compared to my $60 conventional sunglasses, Zeal sent over two of their most popular styles: the Kennedy and the Felicity. After a few weeks of swapping back and forth between them and my usual pair, here are my thoughts:

The Kennedy – This is one of Zeal Optics’ many unisex styles, and the pair I tested came in Reflection Blue/Dark Grey (see above). The fit was a little wide, but not so loose that I felt they were in danger of falling off. I found the lens size and shape to be a little smaller than what I was used to, and upon trying them on, my boyfriend agreed. He also noted that the bright blue of the frame was a little distracting when seen out of the corner of the eye, but I found it kind of fun to get that flash of occasional color! The e-llume bioplastic lenses of the Kennedy style were a dark grey color that I absolutely loved. They also featured Hyperion polarization, a feature that protects your eyes from UVA, B, and C while also blocking a negative light range called High Energy Visible (HEV) light. According to Zeal Optics, it’s HEV that’s been cited as a possible cause of cataracts and macular degeneration.

The Felicity – This is one of Zeal Optics’ many women’s styles, and the pair I tested came in Demi Tortoise/Copper (above); they came in a medium fit that was perfect for my head and face. I loved the tight, hidden action of the frame hinges, something that’s normally missing from my (gas-station!) sunglasses. The e-llume lenses of the Felicity style were a copper color, something I didn’t like as well as the dark grey lenses of the Kennedys. Still, they too offered Hyperion polarization, which rendered a crystal clear perception of the world and almost no color distortion.

A favorite feature of both pairs of Zeal Optics glasses was the hypoallergenic ProFlex Rubber placed on the nosepad and stem areas. My previous sunglasses were always sliding down my face when I exercised outdoors. I wore the Zeal Optics glasses while running, on a long road trip, and at a 4th of July concert, and the rubber pads kept them in place–not a single sweaty slip!

Zeal Optics are available from $79, and can be found in their Boulder retail store, online, and at authorized dealers around the world.

Images: Zeal Optics
Main Image Photo Credit: susy ♥

The post Bioplastic Sunglasses from Zeal Optics: Healthy Eyes, Healthy Planet appeared first on EcoSalon.

Corn becomes a popular fiber.

Although the U.S. is largest producer of corn crops in the world, it still comes as a surprise that cornfields cover a whopping 72.7 million acres of land in the country. A high yield of fibrous matter from the crop has brought about developments in processing corn fibers for spinning yarns and fabrics, alongside technologies that bond corn fibers together to create non-woven materials like diapers and plastic containers.

Much of the fibrous part of the corn plant (stalk and leaves) is fed to animals, although a material called PLA (poly-lactic acid) is fast becoming an alternative that allows corn fibers to be in AND on our bodies.

Image: Nature Works LLC

During the last decade, a fiber processing company called Nature Works has been developing corn fibers for large-scale production of plant-based plastics and textile materials under the product name Ingeo. Acting as a replacement for polyesters, PLA is a fiber that can be turned into a range of textile grade yarns from its pelletized form. The material is said to use 20-50% less petroleum based resources than polyesters, is compostable and can be grown and processed annually to yield high amounts of fiber.

Considered part of the plant-based synthetics fiber group, PLA is derived from a plant sugar called dextrose obtained mostly from corn, as well as sugar beets, wheat or sugar cane, all common and necessary food crops. However, a somewhat green-washed notion that corn fabrics, or dextrose-based fabrics and materials are environmentally-friendly because they are “natural” and come from plants is covering up some of the larger issues in the corn and sugar processing industries.

Image: Fiber Innovation Technology

Up to 85% of the corn grown in the U.S. is genetically engineered, and incorporated into food like corn chips, cereals, sodas and peanut butter, as are the several other highly refined and chemically infested sources of sugar. Cargill was the first company behind the development of PLA, and coincidentally also the world’s largest producer of genetically engineered corn crops.

Fossil fuels are still largely employed for the harvest, processing, chemical production and shipping within the corn market, keeping the oil industry closely tied to corn production. Basically, PLA can be seen as a way to cover up the degradation caused by genetic engineering and chemical processing of resources for the food and livestock feed industries. So does supporting the production of corn-based textiles then give manufacturers another excuse to push farmers towards growing GMO crops and creating mono-crop cultures?

Image: Fiber Innovation Technology

Nature Works has come up with an offsetting program where buyers can choose to receive PLA fibers with GeneScan certified non-GMO corn, as well as a half GMO, half non-GMO fiber material. But why doesn’t Nature Works drive the production of completely GMO-free PLA, and even better, the production of PLA made from organic corn? The company claims to be looking into other sources of cellulosic feedstocks, but have not yet made a leap that excludes genetic modification or chemical intensive processing.

It seems that if the company were truly interested in developing sustainable material options for companies that require fibers, they would invest in experimenting with diverse materials that are by-products of environmentally friendly processes. Nature Works is looking into using agricultural waste from the rice and corn industries for fiber production in the name of closed-loop systems, but can that be called anything more that greenwashing if the sources for agricultural waste are not sustainably produced?

Image: Nature Works LLC

PLA has gained favor with outerwear companies that are always on the lookout for greener material options, such as Portland-based Nau and REI. Patagonia, one of the most environmentally conscious outerwear giants has, however, rejected the fiber. They view Nature Works’ choice to incorporate GMO corn in some of their materials as a largely negative factor that will not change the production processes of the corn industry in the long run.

Patagonia has taken a very realistic stance towards PLA production, and one that will hopefully cause apparel producers to put pressure on fiber suppliers to completely exclude GMO crops from their processes. PLA is a great technological development, but the industries and processes it currently relies on do not make it a sustainable option. That is why all of us along the demand and supply lines of fibers must begin to understand how important the sources and processing of these fibers are to the health of our planet and ourselves.

The post Fiber Watch: Corn Spun Into Fibers is Natural, Right? appeared first on EcoSalon.