bow • r21
upcycled polycarbonate
Bow r21 is a post-industrial upcycled polycarbonate for eyewear. By isolating, sorting, cleaning and reconstituting our own waste, bow offers an upcycled material for use in injection produced frames and temples.
composition & production
Polycarbonate is one of the most commonly used petrol based injection plastics in eyewear. The process of injecting the plastic into moulds generates a significant amount of waste, and r21 uses this waste to re-introduce it back into the supply chain at the maximum value.
Polycarbonate is a petro-chemical based, transparent amorphous thermoplastic. With high impact resistance, it is durable, heat resistant and has excellent transparency properties. As the virgin material deteriorates over multiple injection processes, waste is usually on-sold for lower-end, single use plastic products, that too swiftly end up in landfill.
r21 preserves material within our production cycle, allowing it to re-enter the supply chain at the highest possible value to consumers.
post consumer
Resin ID code 7 – some municipalities will recycle this material, other do not. Recycling r21 is dependant on the finish, some colour applications leave this material not able to be recycled a second time.
limitations
Not yet suitable for light crystal finishes. Recycling limited to 1-2 times as material progressively becomes more brittle. Leaving frames unsprayed/unpainted allows them to be recycled, but does also require an active collection policy with the retailer to create a closed circuit.
accreditations
No accreditation currently available for this process.