Karun upcycles harmful waste into high quality sunglasses
Karün is a Chilean corporation, with a European base in Sweden, that creates high-quality eyewear in a very different way; using reclaimed, natural and/or noble materials and working alongside local communities in Patagonia to empower them towards protecting their wild territories.
Different types of waste like fishing nets and ropes from the ocean are collected by local rural entrepreneurs, then recycled through the ECONYL® regeneration system technology in Italy. Within this ECONYL regeneration system, they are shredded and fed through a 'pelletizer', where they are melted and cut into small recycled pellets. These pellets are then injected into steel moulds to form the products, with no added dyes or chemical coatings. and turned into long-lasting sunglasses.
For more information about Karün's vision, mission and process, view the video below:
Karün offers a selection of sunglasses whose frames are made entirely from recycled ocean plastics, including the Pacific, 7Seas and Kona sunglasses, derived from 100% recycled and recyclable nylon fishing nets.
Part of the company’s sales revenues are funding a project that aims to empower 600 entrepreneurs in rural Patagonia, a region called Cochamó Valley, thus allowing discarded waste to create opportunities for poor communities.