A Devon sunglasses brand favoured by celebrities such as Joss Stone has been honoured for outstanding commitment to sustainable and ethical business.
, based in Exeter and Plymouth, has become the first 海角视频 glasses company to be named a certified B Corp. Certified B Corporations are businesses that balance purpose and profit, and are committed to prioritising the environment and society in the way they do business.
They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.
The rigorous certification process is third party verified and there are currently more than 2,500 Certified B Corporations in more than 50 countries. But Bird is one of only three eyewear brands in the world to now hold the certification.
Bird makes design-led eyewear using high-quality and sustainable materials, which have found a following with the likes of Devon singer Joss Stone , MOBO award winning rapper Faith Child and food writer Jasmine Hemsley.
And for every pair sold it distributes “solar light” to remote communities in Africa through their Share Your Sun partnership with SolarAid.
These solar lamps replace the standard kerosene lamps that are in most households. By eliminating dirty kerosene lamps, families benefit from better health, leading to better mental wellbeing, fewer hours of work and school missed, and thus enabling people to be more productive, as well as saving CO2.
Bird Eyewear is a family business, and founder Ed Bird said: “For us, B Corp Certification is a stamp of approval from a trusted source.
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“The demanding application process was an opportunity to re-examine the business we’re creating and hold it up against the gold standards of ethical business.
“We’re delighted to have achieved B-Corp status and will continue to build on this firm foundation as we grow. It’s great to be part of a global movement of companies using business as a force for good.”
Bird Eyewear was launched in March 2017 by Ed and his two brothers Paul and Lawrence Bird, to combine their skills in creativity, business, social purpose, and commitment to people and planet. While still in its first trading year Bird Eyewear was valued at more than £1million and received investment from Worth Capital in 2020.
Bird aims to drive change in the eyewear industry by designing frames that look good and do good. In contrast to most eyewear companies, which use cheaper plastic injection moulded frames, produced cheaply and contributing to fast fashion throwaway culture, Bird’s premium frames use materials including Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, bio-based acetate and repurposed aerospace aluminium.
“We put the utmost care and attention into every aspect of our products,” said Ed. “We want to create eyewear that people love to wear and own – pieces to treasure, not trash. Our ethos is slow fashion.”
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In 2019, Bird won Frame of the Year with its Blackcap frame at the Opticians Awards, beating international competition, and has been nominated for Frame of the Year again in 2020.
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Bird’s Share Your Sun partnership is more than a token corporate responsibility afterthought, Ed said. After hearing about SolarAid’s work and excellent track record, Ed thought they would be the perfect organisation to develop a long-term partnership with.
The Share Your Sun partnership harnesses cultural associations between sunglasses, sunshine and feeling good, to inspire customers about the power of solar energy to make a difference in poorer communities.
Ed said: “Looking good is one thing – but doing good is so much more important. Share Your Sun is a way to connect with the bigger picture and contribute to a more sustainable world. That’s the power of #shareyoursun”.