This Earth Day, Ombraz Sunglasses, the Armless Sunglass vanguard, will pass a major milestone. In its mission to deliver a net positive impact for the planet, Ombraz, along with its tree planting partner, Accelerated Restoration Collaborative (ARC), will plant its two-millionth tree. Since launching on Indiegogo in 2018, the brand promised to plant 20 mangrove trees per pair of Ombraz sold. Over the course of one year, two million mangrove trees sequester up to 54 million pounds of carbon from the atmosphere, the equivalent of 44,000 flights from LA-NYC.
Through this brand partnership, ARC works directly with local communities in Madagascar, empowering individuals with sustainable livelihood options through mangrove restoration efforts. The Aranta – Sotema Mangrove Restoration Project near Mahajanga City covers 942 hectares of the Betsiboka Estuary. ARC, together with Red Island Restoration, employs locals to restore the estuary, boosting sustainable fisheries and community livelihoods while enhancing biodiversity through revived aquatic spawning grounds and wildlife habitats. The project also supports the Tahiriniala Nature Center, aiding endangered species and educating students and residents.
“Through our enduring partnership in the Aranta-Sotema Mangrove Restoration Project, Ombraz exemplifies how visionary businesses can catalyze profound environmental and social changes. Together, we are demonstrating that strategic restoration efforts can be a cornerstone for preserving biodiversity, fostering economic resilience, and building a more sustainable future for generations to come,” says Agnes Luceño-Fitch, of ARC.
Recently, Ombraz hired Greenticket to perform a third-party analysis of the brand’s carbon footprint and sustainable practices. The audit uncovered a staggering statistic. Through the tree planting efforts, 1713x more carbon is sequestered from the atmosphere than is required to produce and deliver a pair of Ombraz to a customer’s doorstep, making Ombraz the most carbon-negative product in the world.
From the beginning, Ombraz Co-Founders Jensen Brehm and Nikolai Paloni have focused on generating an aggressive net positive impact. “Since starting, we’ve had no interest in creating something that we didn’t feel had a substantial net-benefit environmental impact through our business operations.” says Brehm. “Hitting these tree planting milestones represents our sincere commitment to generating the most carbon-negative product in the world.” adds Paloni.
To learn more about Ombraz, its brand partnership with ARC, and its sustainability efforts, visit Ombraz.com
About Ombraz Sunglasses
Ombraz Sunglasses is pioneering a fundamental shift in eyewear design. Since launching the Ombraz Classic in 2018, Ombraz’ armless sunglasses have solved what frustrates people about sunglasses. Whether on the river, trail, slope, climbing wall, or single track, Ombraz can be worn comfortably and securely all day. With no arms to break and a cord to keep them in place. Additionally, with the help of their partners, ARC Restoration, Ombraz plants 20 mangrove trees for every pair of sunglasses sold. Ombraz is a certified BCorp and member of 1% For The Planet.
About ARC
ARC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization registered in the State of Oregon, USA dedicated to scalable solutions for sociological and environmental challenges, and empowering local communities by creating economic opportunities through forest stewardship, driving effective restoration. Currently, ARC has sites across 3 project nations in Brazil, Nepal, and Madagascar. ARC’s leadership team has over 50 years of combined field experience in forest restoration systems resulting in over 1 billion trees planted across the planet.
