PANGAIA Co2 sunglasses are a new sustainability collection in partnership with carbon transformation company, Twelve.
If there’s any brand that knows how to evolve sustainably, it’s PANGAIA. Earlier this year, the company introduced its new fabrics made out of fruits and veggies to reduce the environmental burden associated with growing conventional fabric materials like cotton and polyester. This month, the company has announced its first sustainable eyewear collection in partnership with Twelve. Before the announcement, the company deleted all its previous Instagram posts to introduce the PANGAIA Co2 sunglasses with the caption: “Remember that flying was once a fantasy? Welcome to PANGAIA lab, a space for dreamers and doers. Where your innovations and ideas – even the crazy ones – can come to life.”
Perhaps this is PANGAIA’s reincarnation, a new chapter in sustainability practices. By deleting the old posts, the company could be making a point about starting afresh on a new road.
While this is a new endeavor for the company, this is not the first time PANGAIA is experimenting with Co2. Back in June, the company also launched the PANGAIA Air-Ink collection.
What Exactly Are PANGAIA Co2 sunglasses?
The PANGAIA Co2 sunglasses are made from CO2Made® technology that includes polycarbonate lenses created by Twelve. This technology fosters the idea of a global economy driven by Co2 rather than conventional fuels, including fossil fuels that harm the environment.
Twelve’s technology is inspired by the plant’s photosynthetic process. It uses Co2 emissions as building blocks for CO2Made® materials and chemicals that are then used for creating consumer products. Through this technology, ‘carbon transformation’ takes place and blends Co2, renewable energy, and water to create essential molecules.
Dr. Amanda Parkes, PANGAIA’s chief innovation officer explained the goal behind the partnership saying, “The overall material philosophy of PANGAIA is ‘high tech naturalism’ which involves utilizing the abundance of nature, augmented by high tech processes, sustainable chemistries and processes, to expand the functionality of materials. We are thrilled to partner with Twelve to deliver polycarbonate that is derived from Co2. Our goal is not only to showcase the endless possibilities of science-based solutions, but also to promote industry-wide adoption that will help scale technologies and help rid the world of fossil-fuel based polymers and over industrialized materials.”
Nicholas Flanders, Twelve’s co-founder, also commented about the collaboration: “Our global economy is at a critical point for climate action, where brands and organizations are stepping up to reduce their environmental footprints and build sustainable supply chains. We’re delighted to be partnering with PANGAIA, a company committed to making a deep impact through climate action, on a pioneering launch that demonstrates how brands can source carbon from emissions while continuing to make the products customers love. CO2Made® means no tradeoffs.”
This is Twelve’s first collaboration that uses CO2Made® products.
The PANGAIA Lab And Its Fellowship Program
The PANGAIA Co2 sunglasses are part of its new sustainability initiative, the PANGAIA lab. With this lab, the company wants to accelerate its own progress within materials science and empower others within the field.
The lab is created to promote and showcase new innovations in materials science that seek to help the environment in the long run. The lab will be introducing a range of technological and innovation-driven products through the lab and its initiatives.
The PANGAIA Co2 sunglasses are the first product collection through PANGAIA lab and comes in 3 different colors: cobalt, black, and silver. The first collection has already been sold out. If you want to own a pair, you need to head to PANGAIA’s website and pre-order. The full eyewear range will launch in October through the company’s website at $495 per piece.
Apart from its collaborations, the PANGAIA prize is another crucial aspect of the lab designed to accelerate sustainable innovation. The prize will support designers, innovators, technologists, and scientists. The prize money will include a $50,000 grant spread to a six-month fellowship to support research and development within sustainable product design and manufacturing. The prize winners will also receive personal mentoring as part of their six-month fellowship. The first prize will be announced by the end of this year.
Are you intrigued by the idea of Co2 sunglasses? Do you think you could shell out $400 for a pair of sunglasses? Let us know in the comment section below.
