Resources

Using recycled PET bottles and nylon

Given de Neubourg’s past as a circular consultant, it should come as no surprise that Yuma Labs’ mission has always been to make sunglasses that are 100% circular. More specifically: Yuma Labs allows you to see the world through glasses made of recycled post-consumer PET plastic and recycled nylon. Nice view, isn’t it?

Yuma Labs collects its PET bottles in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. The ‘bottle bills’ or container deposit legislation in place in these countries ensures a steady supply for Yuma Labs, as well as guaranteeing that the collected plastic items are of sufficiently high quality.

The unique code on your sunglasses allows you to check which resources they are made of. Clearly, the Yuma Labs lenses are not the only thing about this brand that’s transparent.

Design

Ensuring that all pairs can be disassembled

Yuma Labs keeps its design in-house to make sure that every item can be completely disassembled. Guaranteeing circularity means making design compromises from time to time, but the team is strongly committed to producing sunglasses that can serve as resources for new pairs at the end of their lives.

Production

Injection-moulding recycled materials

In its early days, Yuma Labs used 3D printing. This method allowed the brand to launch their product without excessive start-up costs. Yet later on, the team went looking for a more future-proof method that would combine premium quality with swift production speed – the ticket to winning over the general public, so to speak. They set their eyes on injection-moulding.

For this highly efficient process, Yuma Labs relies mainly on Italian partners. The team even managed to convince their Italian supplier to participate in research into the possibilities of injection-moulding their recycled materials.

Retail

Introducing other brands to the circular economy

Yuma Labs sells its own sunglasses, with a focus on e-commerce. Yet the label has recently also started designing glasses for other fashion brands, thereby giving them a taste of the circular economy.

Consumption

Encouraging customers to wear their shades for a long time

Yuma Labs customers can return their shades at the end of their lives, but the brand only hands out discounts or cashbacks to those consumers who’ve worn their pair for at least a year, to avoid unwittingly creating a disposable product.

End of life

Closing the loop with a take-back and recycling system

Yuma Labs designed a send-back case: a case that you can turn inside out to reveal Yuma Labs’ address, and that you can use to return your old shades free of charge. The brand recycles them (once again) into new pairs, creating an endless loop of the same glasses that always look a little different.