01 Mar

Getting To Know Bird: The Eyewear Brand With A Difference

Describe Bird in 3 words!

Thoughtful, Genine, Playful

What was the mission behind starting Bird and what's the story behind the name?

Bird was founded by three brothers, (Ed, Lawrence and Paul Bird) with a focus on making better eyewear for a better world. In our early days when Bird was a blossoming passion project, we had no idea the impact our brand would create. Four years on, Bird Eyewear are having a global impact in the eyewear industry, from new innovative materials to new ways of thinking.

Every pair of Birds gives back through our Share Your Sun partnership with SolarAid. Helping to distribute solar light to families in Zambia and Malawi, replacing the use of fossil fuel burning lamps. To date, we’ve reached over 15000 people.

In 2020 we became the first B Corp Certified eyewear brand in the UK, verified to meet the highest standards of social and environmental impact, whilst balancing purpose with profit. For us, being a B Corp is a public statement that we are a force for good.

We put the utmost care and attention into every aspect of our product, and our journey to creating Better Eyewear for a Better World is still in its infancy. It’s thrilling to see our Birds becoming pieces to treasure, and we’re grateful to our growing flock of customers who are supporting our vision for change.

Eyewear has a unique market position- it’s one of the only industries where fashion and medical function are combined. Fashion is often said to both reflect and lead culture — we believe the industry has a once-in-history opportunity to demonstrate that creativity and respect for nature can lead to sustainability.

Which product are you most excited about currently and why?

Our new bio-acetate frames which we’ve been developing for over a year. Bio-acetate is like an eco-friendly version of plastic, they’re made without crude oil, they’re non-toxic and certified biodegradable. These beautiful styles can be made in any colour using our plant-based dyes, and we include waste acetate flecks to make them even more interesting.

Look for the Kaka, Athene, Alba, Tawny and Otus frames.

Materials is a key focus for the brand, why are materials important when creating sustainable products?

We seek to create exceptional designs and focus continuously on quality alongside sustainability. We use the best sustainable materials for our frames which include certified FSC woods, bio-based acetate, renewable cork and recycled aluminium. When we can’t find the right materials we innovate our own, even if that means making our cleaning cloths from recycled plastic bottles.

A key aspect of our supply chain is understanding where raw material is sourced and the supply chain that supports it. Our suppliers meet the highest standards of manufacturing, including ISO9001 certifications, FDA and CE compliance, including FSC certifications for wood. None of our materials are derived from animals or exploit animals in any form. All Birds are considered vegan and animal cruelty free. The majority of our frames use Bio-acetate which is better for the environment and biodegradable. Unlike traditional acetate, bio-acetate is made without the use oil-based plasticisers. We’ve learnt over the years how much impact material creation has in terms of carbon output, so all of our innovations are about lowering this impact, or creating a closed loop like our recycling scheme. We hope our actions will inspire other brands to do the same.

What’s next for Bird?

The future of Bird is thoughtful, genuine and playful - with innovation at it’s core. We’re on the cusp of a few big innovation projects, including making products from waste materials right here in Devon. We’re also launching our very own Bird forest for carbon capture in Devon UK, which will see us plant over 10,000 trees across 2022 and 2023. Both of these projects will have a big impact on our carbon emissions, and stand us apart from other eyewear brands.