Eyewear Brand Oakley is One Company Taking Sustainability Seriously

Credit: Chad M on Flickr via CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 - no changes were made to the image

With changing times comes changing consumer preferences, and the rising demand for sustainability in retail is no exception. A report from GreenPrint finds that over 66% of Americans are now willing to pay more for eco-friendly products. This interest is primarily fueled by concerns regarding the environmental impacts of what they purchase and the growing frequency of natural disasters like wildfires. 

However, the half-baked efforts many companies employ to meet this demand aren't cutting it. Only 38% of the participants polled by Greenprint believe in corporate sustainability claims, seeing them as mere marketing ploys rather than genuine attempts at becoming more eco-friendly. To more effectively appeal to conscious consumers, companies thus need to conduct sustainability efforts that independent sources can validate. 

Outside of the realm of SMEs, only a handful of major brands are taking this seriously. One of them is the eyewear brand Oakley. Read on to learn more about the initiatives that help it stand out as an example that businesses—both in their own industry and in retail in general—can learn from. 

Eco-friendly eyewear 

Though the company started out in the mid-70s making motocross accessories like grips, gloves, and elbow guards, it's now probably best known as one of the most prominent eyewear brands on the market. Oakley's current offerings are nothing short of extensive. Its bestsellers include eyewear designed for various sports, like the Encoder Strike for cycling and the Sutro Lite for golfing, as well as more versatile models like the Wayfarer-esque Holbrook and the rounder Reedmace, great for everyday use. Throughout this catalog, Oakley doesn't skimp on quality. All their offerings come with additional features for enhanced performance. For better visual acuity, those who need vision correction can get both sports and everyday frames as prescription sunglasses. All they need to do is select a style and lens type before providing their prescription details. Similar choices are available to professional athletes looking for performance specs. If they opt to add HDO or Prizm technology to their lenses, they can benefit from improved color and contrast alongside glare-blocking capabilities for better visual clarity. On top of that, the majority of Oakley's sunglasses are made of lightweight and durable O-Matter frames for comfort and longevity. That's probably what makes one of the brand's foremost sustainability initiatives so effective: Oakley focused on its most frequently used material—O-Matter—and made it more eco-friendly. Today, consumers can get bestsellers like the Hydra with BiO-Matter frames, a more sustainable alternative derived from castor beans rather than petroleum. That essentially means people can buy biodegradable Oakley sunglasses. 

Sustainable activewear 

After nearly 50 years in the game, it's no surprise that this major activewear brand now sells more than just motocross gear and performance eyewear. Today, Oakley also offers apparel and accessories, boasting a collection of shirts, shoes, helmets, backpacks, and even streetwear clothes designed both in-house and in collaboration with other brands like Brain Dead. Again, the company's key strategy in making its other products more sustainable is focusing on the materials they use most. In this case, that's cotton. Oakley is a member of the Better Cotton Initiative, a non-profit that upholds more ethical cotton farming and sourcing practices. As a stakeholder, Oakley ensures clothing like its Agaricus Nassa t-shirts and Explorer shorts are made from recycled, Fairtrade, or organic cotton grown using fewer resources and under fair working conditions. Better Cotton also comes with a traceability solution that allows Oakley to track the cotton they source throughout the supply chain. This feature also helps Oakley validate the sustainable and ethical nature of their cotton products for the benefit of concerned consumers—addressing a key issue for buyers who want to make sure they're truly purchasing eco-friendly items. 

Green shipping 

Oakley also acknowledges the improvements it needs to make in shipping, ensuring the methods it uses to actually deliver its products to consumers are eco-friendly. That's why it only partners with logistics providers that practice responsible shipping through full ground services and emission compensation programs. Companies that offer full ground service exclusively use land transportation, helping Oakley forego other shipping modes that emit higher amounts of carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, the EPA explains that emission compensation programs are essentially a form of carbon offsetting. Providers that subscribe to these programs and work with Oakley calculate their emissions throughout the delivery process and offset them by supporting climate protection projects like reforestation efforts. Their calculations are verified and audited by independent groups like the Société Générale de Surveillance, allowing Oakley to be fully transparent with consumers about how they ship their products. 

In retail, failed marketing ploys are sowing distrust between brands and eco-conscious consumers. Oakley is one company that takes sustainability seriously, showing both the eyewear industry and other retail businesses how they can similarly meet new trends in demand and rebuild that trust.