ASHA SUNFLOWER TORTOISESHELL SUNGLASSES

The Brand Story

“640 million people are unable to access eye care.” - PALA Eyewear 

PALA is on a mission to change that. A pair of spectacles is an effective poverty alleviating tool, enabling the wearer to read, write and work. With each pair of sunglasses sold, PALA gives £5 to provide grants directly to eye care projects in Africa.

Projects might include building a new Vision Centre; or dispensary, purchasing equipment or supporting an outreach programme – all sustainable, long term solutions that facilitate eye care, eye tests and provision of spectacles. 

They’re also on a mission to be the most sustainable eyewear brand in the world.

Acetate

These sunglasses are made using conventional acetate.

PALA have started to incorporate bio-acetate and recycled acetate into their collection. Bio-acetate uses less harmful chemicals than conventional acetate and the recycled acetate is made from offcuts from the factory.

The Sunglasses Case

Their sunglass cases are made from recycled plastic and weaved in communities in Ghana, where they provide a fair wage to their workers. As PALA grows they have created job opportunities where workers have been taught to weave and earn an income.

The Factory

The factory PALA uses to make their premium eyewear is in China. It is independently SMETA audited and corrective action plans are given to help improve conditions in the factory. This is aimed to be done every 2 years. PALA have direct contact with the factory and follow up with them on their corrective action plans to help ensure these have been completed.

Packaging and Delivery

PALA have thought about packaging too and that is all recycled or FSC certified.

PALA also carbon offset delivery of products and carbon offset the teams flights. They do this by providing cooking pots in Nigeria and Rwanda which hold heat for much longer than normal pots, reducing the need for extra fuel, therefore reducing CO2 emissions.

Where PALA can improve?

Everyone at PALA’s make factory earns above a minimum wage, however we’d also like to see this further improved with the implementation of a living wage. Furthermore, we’d like to know more about the working conditions of the factory. It is positive that the factory is independently audited using SMETA as this helps to ensure good working conditions, however SMETA is not a certification so does not guarantee this.