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Seeing clearly: How hemp sunglasses could open our eyes to plastic waste

Cannabis Wealth speaks to Sam Whitten of Hemp Eyewear about superfoods, hemp sunglasses and the problem with plastic.

When it comes to plastic pollution, we are careful to replace our coffee cups with reusable ones or cut down on pre-packaged foods. However, we often don’t look at our own wardrobes to see how we could make small changes that have big effects. From synthetic fibres to plastic PVC, we have a lot of hidden horrors in our clothes.

Sam Whitten is aiming to change this by creating stylish, hemp sunglasses that replace the need for plastic. Made in Edinburgh, Hemp Eyewear has also launched a line of natural glasses using ingredients like spirulina and beetroot as natural alternatives to chemical dyes.

Chemical dyes can have a big effect on human health generating chemical cystitis, irritation of the skin and digestive tract, respiratory and renal failure. The chemicals are absorbed through the skin and accumulated. It can also create a toxic soup in our rivers and oceans. Where our plastic also ends up.

Hemp eyewear

Cannabis Wealth speaks to Sam about superfoods, sunglasses and hemp plastic.

Sam began researching natural alternatives after becoming horrified about the amount of plastic in our oceans. He began to wonder if hemp oils and fibres could be used to manufacture accessories. He started to develop his idea in his own garage which became a makeshift workshop.

“I began researching natural materials in 2014 after reading about plastic waste found in the ocean. It became obvious to me that industrial hemp could help to reduce carbon emissions and replace plastic material in a wide variety of products. Eyewear was always an interesting space in regards to design and materials so I decided to test hemp oils and fibres while at university in Glasgow, Scotland. Shortly after graduation, I raised start-up funds to take my prototypes and manufacture larger quantities,” he explained.

The result was handmade sunglasses that went viral when they were released. As well as investors, Sam also used Kickstarter to get the company started in 2019. He went to raise £37,367 from 221 backers. The company relocated into their current studios in Edinburgh where they continued to work on perfecting the materials. Last year, Hemp Eyewear released a collection of new glasses featuring superfoods such as beetroot, spirulina, chlorophyll and turmeric.

Chorophyll is a fantastic source of a natural green dye that has been used throughout history. It is specifically sourced from arthrospira platenisis or Spirulina. These natural dyes are naturally hypoallergenic so they do not cause irritation or accumulate in the body. They are also not dangerous to the environment either.

Sam said: “We wanted to offer different colour options to our hemp frames and after researching fabric dyes, we found a lot of them to be synthetic. Then after more research, we found that a lot of the dying process in the fashion industry causes terrible pollution around factories and beyond. So we developed our own natural dyes and found that the best four colours that worked for us were all superfoods. So it made sense to call the entire collection the Superfood Series.”

The website for Hemp Eyewear highlights a commitment to sustainability is also one to their customers. They offer free repairs, a recycling program and also, a design that can be easily modified if your needs change.

So how easy is it to work with hemp?

Sam said: “It’s easy to work with as there is less waste from our process, less toxic chemicals and we can make everything we need through a short supply chain. We have just started manufacturing a 100% natural dye collection called the Superfood Series. This new process allows us to make almost any colour.

We make our own dyes using superfoods including Turmeric, beetroot, blue and green Spirulina. The next collection will involve a combination of our hemp technology and recycled tartan fabric from kiltmakers in Scotland.”

The sunglasses are made from a hemp composite material of mixed hemp and flax fibres. The frames are formed from the material through a compression moulding process to make a strong yet lightweight pair of sunglasses. Each pair is coated in an eco-friendly resin which adds extra waterproof and strength properties. The durability of hemp makes it the perfect material for sunglasses or regular glasses which are often easily snapped.

Hemp plastics provide a strong, sturdy and biodegradable alternative to oil-based plastics due to its abundance of cellulose.

Sam sourced the hemp from France and Germany before manufacturing the glasses locally.

He said: “A big difference is a fact that most eyewear is made in China and shipped to the rest of the world. Traditional plastic uses fossil fuels which can never be replaced and is a finite resource that releases carbon into the atmosphere. Hemp actually absorbs carbon during its growing cycle and when we manufacture hemp into our eyewear the only by-product from the compression process is h20. No harmful toxins are released.”

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