Upcycled
Eyewear
PLASTIC OCEAN DEBRIS, ABANDONED FISHING NETS AND
OLD FLOOR BOARDS TRANSFORMED INTO SUNGLASSES
By Denis Langlois
ABOUT EIGHT
MILLION METRIC
TONNES OF PLASTIC
–
ROUGHLY THE
WEIGHT OF
TORONTO'S CN
TOWER 67 TIMES
OVER – ENTERS
THE WORLD'S
OCEANS EACH YEAR.
IT POLLUTES THE
WATER AND SEABEDS,
Concerned about the oceans' future, friends and
entrepreneurs Rob Ianelli, who has years of
experience developing eyewear products, and
Ryan Schoenike decided to become part of the
solution to the problem of plastic debris.
Last year, the pair formed Norton Point, which has
launched the world's first line of sunglasses made
from high-density plastics recovered from the sea.
“Plastic in our oceans is a huge problem with no
end in sight. The oceans support life on our planet
and on top of that, enjoying the beauty of the ocean
is being destroyed by plastic debris,” Schoenike
tells Optical Prism.
“So rather than talk about the issue, we decided to
combine our backgrounds and knowledge to make
FISH, SEA MAMMALS
an impact. We feel that in order for other companies
AND BIRDS AND
to get engaged, we need to show the value in ocean
LITTERS COASTLINES. plastic material. Sunglasses is our first product
IF NOTHING CHANGES towards that goal.”
Norton Point is one of many companies that is
WITH PLASTIC
manufacturing eyewear from recycled materials;
PRODUCTION AND
everything from old lobster traps and skateboards
DISPOSAL, A 2016
to worn-out jeans and compact discs.
REPORT BY THE
The eco-friendly products are being created at a
WORLD ECONOMIC
time when The World Bank estimates that about
FORUM PREDICTS
1.3 billion tons of municipal waste is produced
PLASTIC WILL
each year in the world. That number is expected to
OUTWEIGH FISH IN
climb to 2.2 billion tons by 2025. And that doesn't
THE OCEAN BY
include the amount of litter tossed on roadsides,
2050.
in parks, on shorelines and in waterways.
SICKENS AND KILLS
18 Optical Prism | October 2016
NORTON POINT
Each pair of Norton Point
shades, which can be ordered
at www.nortonpoint.com and
shipped to Canada, is made
with one pound of plastic
from the world's oceans. The
company, based in Martha's
Vineyeard, Massachusetts,
teamed up with Vancouverbased The Plastic Bank to
collect ocean plastic in Haiti.
The organization pays people