The word sustainable has become a buzzword in recent years, with many companies striving to help reduce plastic and become better stewards of the environment. It's a big deal for all of us and it's a welcomed change to see corporations do more to preserve the future, which is why it's great to see fishing industry corporations like Bajío take a lead in doing something about protecting the earth and protecting our fisheries.
They don't just talk about it or use it solely for marketing. They put actual procedures in place to do their part and continually look for more ways to expand their efforts. It's one of the core ideas for the company and their Founder and CEO, Al Perkinson, has done quite a bit to keep sustainability in mind while also making excellent sunglasses and apparel.
Saving plastic with Bajio Sunglasses
Sunglasses are a plastic product, but there are ways to help reduce how much is used and that's what Bajío has done. They reduced their use of plastic by finding a unique, durable, lightweight alternative.
"We make our frames using 65-percent bio-resin, which is from plants," said Perkinson. "We eliminate plastic wherever we can. Our packing tape is paper and has no plastic threads, and our packing material is paper as well. The bags we use for our apparel are paper, not plastic. And the cases we sell our sunglasses in are made of paper instead of polyester."
This is just one example of something Bajío has implemented and was part of the mission to create the brand.
"We believe that all businesses should strive to make as small of an impact on the environment as possible," said Perkinson. "It's especially important for companies that rely on clean water and healthy habitats to sustain their businesses. It's pretty simple: without a healthy habitat, there are no fish. Without fish, there are no anglers; we have no business."
Everything from their sunglasses to apparel is built, packaged, and shipped with the environment in mind. This sounds easy in concept, but it takes some planning to eliminate plastic usage.
"We make our sunglass cases out of cactus leather," said Perkinson. "Our boxes are recycled paper and our shirts are made from bamboo and organic cotton. Even our displays use Plyboo (plywood made from bamboo). We have been carbon neutral since inception."
If plastic is used, they find a way to recycle it. "We use a centrifuge to extract the plastic created when we grind our lenses," he said. "Then we recycle that plastic along with any other plastic scrap we generate."
Giving back and looking ahead
Instead of just doing what they can to reduce plastic, they also help clean up areas in need. They hope to expand as they grow and focus on areas where fishing is a major part of tourism.
"We have a project to clean up plastic from beaches in Xcalak, Mexico," said Perkinson. "We generate funds for that through the sale of our rooster shirts and hats. It's a test program that we hope to expand to other coastal areas we visit."
Aside from plastic, the team also looks at ways they can do better when it comes to manufacturing and transporting their products.
"We are also continually looking for manufacturing partners closer to home so that we can use less fuel," said Perkinson. "We moved our case production from Asia to Mexico, for example. We have the basics in place and now it's a matter of expanding."
They are also working with their current manufacturers to encourage them to do more. They will continue to push their efforts even further as they get bigger.
"Some of the factories we work with to make parts have made major strides in operating sustainably," Perkinson said. "We are shifting more production to those factories and encouraging others to do the same. As we grow, we can go further with our product line and meet the minimum volume requirements necessary for access to more sustainable materials."
These are some incredible steps that the company has taken and they are one of the leaders in the fishing world when it comes to focusing on sustainability. "Some folks are doing small parts of their product lines from sustainable material, but I don't know of any who have made the same level of commitment," he said.
It's refreshing to see a company take sustainability seriously while keeping sight of the importance of making an excellent product. That's what Bajío has done and they continue to find ways to innovate, both in what they produce and how they do it.
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