How Does Vinyl Recycling Work For Eyewear?
As we know, the eyewear fashion industry used to rely more on traditional plastic and metal for making sunglasses and frames, but today, it is looking for sustainable alternatives such asvinyl recycling. Yes, you read it very right! We are talking about PVC, the synthetic plastic polymer that we all know. Today, we will learn how this material works for eyewear.
What Is Vinyl?
Vinyl is a type of synthetic plastic polymer that has been used by the eyewear industry to make glasses. But why vinyl? Because it is an eco-friendly material but you would also see that vinyl has also got many negative points as well in the previous decades. However, vinyl recycling has been a very great and strong initiative by the eyewear industry. They are doing a very good job by converting these toxic products into something useful.
The vinyl recycling process for eyewear
Making recycled glasses is a complete process that involves so many steps. Let us understand them below one by one:
Collection and sorting of vinyl waste
The very first step of the process is to collect discarded vinyl items, for example, old vinyl records, and then sort them together. By sorting, we mean to separate vinyl from other items like metal or glass.
Cleaning and shredding
Now comes the second step towards making eco-friendly eyeglasses which is about cleaning them properly. As you know vinyl products have come from the waste, they have many contaminants over them that can be harmful as well as a concern for hygiene. That's why a proper cleaning is mandatory. After proper cleaning, The vinyl is shredded into small pieces so that the manufacturing process becomes easier and efficient later on.
Melting and molding
The vinyl is melted first at high temperatures and converted into a liquid state. After this, before directly molding it into eyeglass frames, some additives like stabilizers or colorants are added to make sure that the final product is durable and aesthetic as well. Now, The vinyl is kept aside for cooling and after that, it can be given the shape of eco-friendly sunglasses very easily.
Polishing and assembly
The process of vinyl recycling does not end with molding. Ahead, there is a complete procedure of polishing the sunglasses made from recycled materials to make sure that the rough edges get smoother and a polished look comes, giving a proper aesthetic feel. Once polished, the frames are assembled with lenses, hinges, and other components to make them into completely functional eyewear. And now they are completely ready for you.
What are the benefits of recycled glasses?
You can observe many brands like Vinylize making eyewear from recycled materials like old vinyl records and they are creating of very huge impact on the environment by first of all reducing the plastic waste that just ends of in the landfills and release very harmful gases over time, depleting both environment and the human life. Secondly, using search eco-friendly glasses is reducing carbon footprint on the earth up to a greater extent because this process is completely energy efficient and controls carbon emissions. In addition to all these, the eco-friendly glasses are also durable, versatile, and affordable. So if you were thinking that there would be any compromise on glasses made from recycled materials, you are wrong here because they are aesthetic as well as sustainable. So while buying yourself eco-friendlysunglasses, you are not compromising on your personality in addition to playing a big role towards the positive effects of the environment.
Challenges of the process for eyewear
Although the benefits of recycling vinyl to make eco-friendly eyeglasses are numerous, it also comes with challenges. One of the major challenges for eyewear industries is that not all types of vinyl are completely recyclable and that's why it becomes a problem some of the time. Then, to set up a huge infrastructure for the recycling process requires a lot of capital and time as well. So it is more of an investing practice in the initial steps. Thirdly, there are chances that vinyl can release harmful chemicals if you burn it or process it improperly. So, it is important to take care of the potential health risks as well.
Challenges of the process for eyewear
In brief, the process of making eyeglasses from old vinyl records like Vinylize is a complete eco-conscious approach as it does not cause any harm to the environment in addition to no compromise in quality.
