Walmart launches sustainable eyewear brand
Walmart is continuing its push into the eyewear market as well as to becoming a regenerative company.
The discount giant has launched Karün, its first eyewear brand made from traceable, recycled materials. The line, now available at 1,400 Walmart Vision Center locations, features eyewear made from recycled fishing nets, metals and other plastics from the coasts of Patagonia (a region of South America with territory in both Argentina and Chile).
The collection features 18 styles, including classic aviators, as well as round, rectangle and square frames, ranging from $114 to $132. As it broadens the assortment, Walmart hopes to extend Karün availability to more of its Vision Center locations in the future.
Other efforts Walmart has made in the eyewear space include the development of the Elton John Eyewear brand in partnership with the pop music icon, as well as the acquisition of Memomi, an AR optical technology company providing technology to enhance virtual optical try-on experiences, helping customers virtually “try on” eyewear in real-time.
“At Karün, our mission is to create eyewear that helps protect nature. Through our Karün Traceability System, we enable customers to learn where their eyewear materials were collected, how far they traveled and where they were produced,” said Thomas Kimber, Karün founder and CEO. “We chose to work with Walmart as our U.S. national retailer to expand access to more sustainable eyewear options.”
“Shopping for eyewear is personal and everyone’s check list looks a little different,” said Ericka Thumbutu, merchandise director, optical, Walmart in a corporate blog post. If sustainability and waste reduction are on your list, know that we are helping to make the more sustainable choice the everyday choice at Walmart.
Walmart pursues regenerative strategy
According to Walmart, introducing the Karün brand is part of its larger goal of becoming a “regenerative” company — helping to renew people and the planet through its business. First announced in September 2020, Walmart’s regenerative goals include reaching zero emissions in global operations and committing to help protect, manage or restore at least 50 million acres of land and 1 million square miles of ocean by 2030.
Through innovations in energy and transportation, Walmart seeks to power 100% of its global operations with renewable sources of energy by 2035 and achieve its overall goal of zero emissions across global operations by 2040.
Based in Bentonville, Ark., Walmart Inc. operates more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries.