Sustainability: Our Journey

At Tura, we recognize that making frames is a dirty business. We are making strides to become a more sustainable company. As with all products, the manufacturing processes and distribution model have a serious impact on the environment. But, we want to change all of that. We are on a journey to find better manufacturing practices to improve the future of our planet. And we want to be as transparent as possible throughout this journey. We have set short and long term goals, but with each step, new questions will arise. And with each year, new technologies will emerge. So we are remaining flexible, and we are excited about the continuous experiments and explorations we will be making over the next few years.

In 2021, we launched a small optical collection under the Ted Baker brand to address sustainability. Ted Bio Classics are made exclusively in biodegradable acetate, but the collection pushes sustainability a step further…. To avoid opening new molds, thereby creating more material waste, Ted is utilizing existing production tools to reproduce best-selling silhouettes in bio-degradable acetate. We are genuinely creating a product with less waste, a lower environmental impact, and a smaller carbon footprint.

While our Ted collection is a great first step, we recognize that acetate uses a reductive manufacturing process, putting 50-80% of material to waste with every frame. To tackle this challenge, many of our acetate frames utilize custom lamination techniques, where multiple materials are cut and fitted like puzzle pieces to create unique colors. With custom lamination, more frames can be yielded from the same amount of material, reducing the material waste by half. A 50% improvement is a very positive step forward, all the while creating even more luxurious and unique frames.

Moving forward, we will be more innovative in our approach, beginning with our research into alternative materials to further lower our environmental impact. We are exploring the application of additive processes, such as injection and 3D printing, which create nearly zero waste. Experiments with newer bio-degradable materials, recycled plastics, and recyclable metals are well underway. Our design approach examines ways to manufacture in fewer steps and to aid the recycling or up-cycling process. In the near future, we will be implementing more eco-friendly demo lenses, sun lenses, cases, and packaging.

And we will continue our efforts to make our paper point of purchase materials as eco-friendly as possible as outlined below.

Research, Explore, Experiment, Change, Grow. This is our new design mantra, and it is how we will ultimately save our planet for future generations. And we promise to keep you updated along our journey.