Regrind

When Erik Lindmark in the early years of EOE visited eyewear brands throughout Sweden, he noticed that their droors were full of frames that never had been sold. At the same time, consumers had no way of getting rid of their used frames in a satisfying way. Sooner or later, they simply ended up in the trash. Each year, about three billion frames are sold globally. It was easy to see there was a problem to solve here.

EOE initiated a collaboration with different partners and could soon offer stations where the customers could return their used frames. Together with researchers in northern Sweden, Erik and Emilia set out to develop a process and a product that from used frames could create a new material and new frames. Today, thousands of collected frames are each month being dismantled and sorted into different color and quality schemes. Thereafter the recycling process – the regrinding – begins. The frames are shattered into small pieces and the metallic parts are filtered out. About 98% of the material is being recycled. The result from the regrinding is millions of small, irregular pieces of acetate – the new raw material.

Read more on eoe-regrind.com

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Friendly acetate

The acetate used in all EOE frames is made out of a mix of wood and cotton pulp. The process for the making of the cellulose acetate contains a treatment of two different fibers; seeds (cotton) and wood (from conifer and broadleaf deciduous trees). Both wood and cotton are renewable resources and available and easily accessible in our very close nature. What separates the EOE biodegradable acetate to the acetate that is normally used for eyewear, is foremost that it doesn’t contain any petroleum or phthalates – which are considered to be so poisonous it’s even forbidden in the production of toys and children’s products.

Titanium

Titanium possesses numerous terrific properties for eyewear production. It’s durable, super light-weight and very flexible. The beta-titanium used in EOE frames is the only non-recycled material in EOE frames as of today. However, the ambition is to shortly be able to offer regrind-titanium, with the same process used for acetate frames.

Valuable waste

Normally when glasses are produced from virgin acetate, more than 75% go to waste. The material that isn’t used simply end up on factory floors and are considered useless. EOE takes care of this waste and make it in to new frames. Simply because it can be done.

Shop our valuable waste frames here

Recycled steel

Steel is one of the most naturally sustainable materials we have. It can be used time and time again without losing any quality or strength. Since Sweden is a country very rich in steel, it is a matter of course that EOE uses Swedish and mainly recycled steel in all metal frames. The steel (AISI301) comes from Sandvik industries.

Traceable paper

When you buy your eyewear from EOE, the frames come in a beautiful case, produced with fully traceable Swedish or European paper. The eyewear case comes in a minimalistic design, with a sticker as the sole branding element. When you buy new frames, you will receive a discount by returning your old eyewear case. Just as with the eyewear case, all printed products and textiles from EOE are ecologically produced and traceable..

Wood

All birch used in EOE frame come from Swedish Lapland. In Umeå, where the founders of EOE are from, there are so many birches that it’s often called the City of Birches (Björkarnas stad in Swedish). Just in the very city center of Umeå, there are about 3000 birches along the streets.

Stone

In the areas outside of Kiruna, in the very Northern parts of Sweden, the stones used in EOE frames are found. The snow quarts are picked by hand right after it’s been raining, when it’s easiest to see their colors. Also the the grinding of the stones are done 100 percent sustainably, with natural water. The wastewater? We use it as manure.

Reindeer horn

The reindeer horn used in EOE-frames come from reindeers in Swedish Lapland. Each year, they lose their horns to grow new ones, thus making them come to use is both natural and fully sustainable. The horns seen in EOE frames come from reindeers