New eco-friendly eye wear store EcoEyes opens in Preston's Fishergate Centre selling sustainable specs

The EcoEyes stand can be found opposite Moka coffee shop in Preston’s Fishergate Centre. The concept behind the store is saving the planet by selling eco-friendly products and packaging instead of using harmful plastics.

Owner, Joseph Waqas 33, from Preston said: “All the team here are proud to be from Preston, that’s why we set up here. We all have a keen passion for sustainability and have done various expeditions around the world researching bio-diversity and I think that partnered with our awareness of the financial difficulties in the economy we thought it would be an excellent opportunity to provide not only eco-friendly eyewear but affordable eyewear.

"All of the eco-friendly alternatives to the high street retailers are better than the other materials. For example, we use bio-acetate instead of plastics and it's a far superior material, it’s lightweight, hypoallergenic, lightweight and it is bio-degradable. It’s a no-brainer for us.”

The new store soft-launched earlier this month and offers customers a chance to bring their prescriptions to be put into eco-friendly frames in 20 minutes in the lab at their flagship kiosk.

Joseph said: “As owners, we are passionate about the world, passionate about ecology. I have been to Madagascar, I’ve been to jungles in Mexico looking at bio-diversity and working alongside conservation scientists and that’s where my interests stemmed from.

“People have been really interested in our message so far, it seems to be resonating with a lot of people in Preston. As part of what we are doing, we have partnered with a California-based company called ‘One Tree Planted’ and with every purchase, a tree is planted in one of five conservation sites.”

The eyewear starts from £39 and is made from various recycled materials such as ocean plastics, fishing nets, and recycled coffee beans in their sunglasses range. Eco Eyes also produces an ethically sourced wooden range from sandalwood and zebra wood. Eco Eyes officially launches on February 11 where they will be offering a free pair of eco-friendly sunglasses with every purchase.