Buy sunglasses, clean the ocean
For every pair of sunglasses, goggles, or lenses sold between June 8 and 30, Zeal Optics will remove five pounds of plastic from the ocean.
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In honor of World Oceans Day on June 8, Colorado-based Zeal Optics is throwing down an admirable challenge to its customers. For every pair of sunglasses, goggles, or lenses sold from June 8 through the end of the month, the company will yank five pounds of harmful plastic waste from the ocean. The brand has partnered with Plastic Bank, an organization that supports costal communities by paying them to collect ocean plastic, to carry out the effort.
“As we head into summer, this campaign is designed to inspire people to think about the impacts of their purchases and get them to vote with their dollars,” Zeal’s director of marketing, Mike Lewis, said of the program. “We’re incredibly excited with the response we’ve gotten to this program from our partners and how they’re getting behind it and can’t wait to see how it’s received amongst our community.”
The initiative, called Shades for Seas, went through its first iteration in March for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. It was popular enough among customers that the company decided to bring it back for another round. The program fits nicely with Zeal’s commitment to using plant-based materials in its manufacturing process and its larger contribution to the environment as a member of 1% for the Planet.
If you’re interested in reducing the amount of single-use plastic produced by the outdoor industry, make sure to join the Plastic Impact Alliance today.