ORIGEM

Sustainable production: Origem estimates to manufacture around 1.500 pairs of glasses this year, using sustainable materials and methods. The bamboo used in the production of the glasses, cleaning cloths, and pouches is a sustainable raw material that renews itself extremely fast. One kilogram of bamboo is enough to manufacture six pairs of sunglasses.

Ethical production: all of the brand’s production with bamboo happens in China, close to the bamboo extraction location, with the same suppliers for over 5 years. The promoter has a close relationship with the supplier and has ensured the labor is fair and the work environment is safe.

Net-positive impact pursuit: ORIGEM envisions going beyond neutrality and has partnered with organizations to plant five trees and rescue fifty plastic bottles for every sale.  So far they have planted 15.000 trees and rescued over 10.000 plastic bottles from the ocean. Moreover, they have implemented a carbon offset scheme for every employee, through which every month they contribute to offset 1.24 tonnes of CO2 and to rescue 100 plastic bottles from the ocean.

ORIGEM is a Portuguese eyewear project founded in 2017 in Lisbon with the goal of promoting bamboo as a sustainable, fair, and affordable alternative to plastic. This material – the fastest-growing plant on the planet – offers a tremendous potential to substitute plastic due to its level of resistance, malleability, and renewability as a self-sustaining culture.

ORIGEM’s journey started in 2016 during a trip to Brazil, where Pedro, one of the co-founders, learned more about bamboo and its use in clothing, accessories, and even housing. The plant's rapid growth and its potential to be used in a wide variety of products caught Pedro’s attention.
After 1 year of research, the ORIGEM was founded by André Barbosa, Guilherme Vasques, and Pedro Romão, who shared the vision to build a for-good and for-profit project to substitute plastic in the eyewear industry.

Over the past 5 years, the promoter has built a community of more than 3.000 clients and, with their support, ORIGEN planted has planted 15.000+ trees in reforestation projects around the world, and rescued 10.000+ plastic bottles from the ocean, and offset 40.000+ tons of CO2.

As the only company in Portugal making products exclusively out of bamboo, ORIGEM has received wide recognition from the sustainable community in Portugal. The promoter has regularly worked with dozens of sustainable influencers and participated in key sustainability events to raise support for its project. ORIGEM has also earned multiple media references such as in the BBC Wildlife magazine, Dinheiro Vivo, and Jornal de Notícias, among many others.

In an industry dominated by big plastic and multinational corporations, ORIGEM stands out for creating high-quality handmade optical products – with unique touch and wear – that create a positive social and environmental impact with every purchase.