Sunglasses made from castor bean oil

There are many firsts in the word of sustainable consumer products. Zeal Optics claims to have the first product line of 100% non-petroleum based eyeware frames. Now Zeal has taken it one step further with their E-llume lenses which use plant based bonding agent.

Zeal says "with optimum clarity, this lens is a proof that environmental initiatives are not a deterrent to an incredible optical experience." Furthermore, Zeals says their caster oil based frame resin, which is produced in Switzerland, is the perfect material "because it is [made from] an efficient, fast growing perennial that is easy to grow, withstands drought, and thrives on marginal lands. [Their resin] doesn't compete with food crops and it also significantly reduces the amount of CO2 released during manufacturing."

Read more about Zeal sunglasses at Treehugger here and here.

See more sustainable sunglasses at Treehugger

Read more about Zeal's technology at their website

Read more about castor oil plastic at the Royal Society of Chemistry

Good News! Greener is Cheaper for Industry

Will green chemistry save the day? Well, according to Pike Research, they will at least save the industry $65 billion by 2020

Compared to conventional petroleum-derived feedstocks, these new materials offer greenhouse gas emissions and reduced toxicity. More importantly to the companies that use chemicals in their industrial processes, they offer significantly lower costs. In contrast to the consumer market, where choosing green products usually entails paying a premium, greener is cheaper in industry.

Read more at BusinessWire

2011 Green Chemistry awards

Eliminating 199 million lb of hazardous chemicals and solvents, saving more than 21 billion gal of water, and avoiding 57 million lb of carbon dioxide emissions: Those are a few of the annual benefits derived from the technologies implemented by the past 82 winners of the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. Now, five new winners of the presidential award and two of an affiliated student award were crowned during a ceremony held on June 20 in Washington, D.C.

Read more at the American Chemical Society