Sea2See awarded B Corp Certification

Collected raw material is used to create frames in Italy

Five years after creating the first ‘seastainable’ eyewear brand, now a global leader in sustainable optics, Sea2see’s Francois van den Abeele has announced that the company has earned the prestigious B Corp Certification.

B Corp Certification is awarded to companies that meet strict standards of social and environmental performance.

The rigorous process requires that a company answers more than 300 detailed question on governance, workers, communities and impact on the environment – and is highly valued as a recognition of good business practice, accountability and social and environmental proactivity.

B Corp companies are required to undergo verification every three years, by demonstrating ongoing positive impact.

Commenting, Francois said: “We are proud to say that we are a certified B Corp, which for us means being part of a movement that isn’t competing to be the best in the world, it is competing to be the best for the world.

“This certification represents a tremendous step for us as we mark our fifth anniversary and reflect on our progress to date. The B Corp certification reinforces our ‘seastainable’ mission and purpose for our whole community around the world…”

Sea2see founder, Francois van den Abeele

Francois launched Sea2see in Barcelona, Spain, in 2016 with a range of 18 ‘seastainable’ sunglasses. It was the first eyewear company to champion a vertically integrated sustainable business model, transforming plastic waste into a reusable raw material, and creating its own infrastructure for collecting marine plastic – making a direct impact on the environment and creating a new source of income for the waste collectors.

The raw material collected is used to create the frames in Italy.

Today, the company offers more than 300 ophthalmic and sunglass styles for men, women and juniors in lightweight, colourful materials – and sells the line through some 4,000 optical retailers worldwide.

Last year, the company launched a line of watches in the same 100 per cent recycled material – produced in Switzerland.