This month, my fellow co-founders of Australian sunglasses brand Soda Shades and I made a pretty big announcement. We shared that our small business was making a commitment to going green.
This was a decision that led to major operational change. Change that meant more expensive suppliers and more work for each and every one of our team members. It was a decision that wasn’t practical from a business perspective, but was critical from an environmental perspective.
I think that no matter how hard the process is to go green, it is one each and every one of us, whether you’re part of a small, medium or big business, or even just operating as a sole trader, needs to commit to right now. Here’s why.
We’re Making a Commitment to Our Environment
As a small business, we still want to make big moves, and while those big moves may be expensive in the short term, they are critical for all of us in the long run.
When we first made the decision to move to sustainable practices, we recognised that we were becoming part of a global commitment of tackling environmental issues and taking control of our part in this narrative. By shifting towards environmentally-friendly practices, we also know this will bring inspiration and innovation among our team. There’s nothing like being inspired by your own company.
We Have a Commitment to Our Customers
We know that our customers, like us, want to invest in a greener future. And we want to invest in our customers’ futures. While we appreciate going green can be an expensive investment, it’s an investment that will ensure we all have a future.
We Need to Be Part of the Change and the Conversation
We are an innovative and fun team, and that means we commit to doing better and to being trailblazers in the sunglass industry. Mass-produced plastic frames take up a large portion of the market, and we wanted to set an example and redefine the way we look and produce desirable eyewear, at no cost to our customers.
Working with experts in this field, our sunglasses will be bio-sourced, making use of natural renewable resources (derived from castor seeds), which do not grow at the expense of food crops and contribute to reduced CO2 emissions. The sunglass materials will match those used by Balenciaga, who is also on a mission to create a more sustainable supply chain.
Time Is Running Out
I mean, it’s a no-brainer, right? You only need to look at the conversations happening around the world to understand that our environmental future needs some TLC, and that action needs to be taken up at lightning speed by everyone. We’ve had big sustainable dreams for our company since inception and while things of this magnitude (and cost) take time, we’re really proud that we’re able to really start tackling this now. We can all play a part in this change and take up our individual and business responsibilities.
We Need to Lead By Example for Future Generations to Come
When you have a brand that is loved and adored by young people across the world, you take on a huge responsibility to show future generations how to do better. We want to inspire our customers to be proud, bold and take action. If we didn’t live and breathe this, then we wouldn’t be doing our customers justice.
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.