at szade, we care more about relationships than we do about revenue, and more about quality products than we do about profit. everyone knows that all long-lasting relationships are built on honesty, openness, and a willingness to share and learn, which is exactly why we’re starting this way with you. our goal with szade is to bring the freshest frames in the best colourways to our community in the least wasteful, most resourceful, and easily accessible way we can. we’d like to take this opportunity to share a little more about why and how we do what we do.

at szade, we take a holistic approach to sustainability. what we do is important, but we wanted to focus on how we do it too. our operations team are based in a repurposed chocolate factory in melbourne, australia. our brand ethos and philosophy of using existing resources to innovate and create led us to this unique space, and our wonderful distribution partner.

our distribution partner, also based at our melbourne hq has been committed to the cityswitch energy efficiency program since 2017, and szade has supported this continued partnership with initiatives to strive for better, cleaner and more sustainable sources of energy to power our business.

our office takes a holistic approach to sustainability, ensuring that even the most mundane aspects of the business are conducted ethically for the preservation of the planet's resources. these include ;

- minimising paper and cardboard use via practices such as printing controls and an active policy of the total reuse of cardboard boxes in our warehouses.

- reusing materials where possible ; this is very much in line with our unique recycling process and brand philosophy to minimise material consumption and waste.

- recycling as much waste as possible to minimise landfill disposal ; including composting organic matter for our friends in the on-site worm farm!

- continued work on increased energy efficiency including introducing various automated lighting, heating and cooling systems in our premises along with efficient light fittings.

- responsibly sourced recycled paper used in all offices.

in 2020 we worked with our distribution partner to take our clean energy initiatives further, and saw the installation of a 265kWp solar panel array on the roof of our amazing space, which powers our business with renewable energy.

we want to talk about something that’s often overlooked in the fashion industry ; accessibility. brands, designers and corporations are now aware of the importance of inclusivity, diversity and sustainability when marketing their products, but few address accessibility, which is one of the most important, core values of our world here at szade. accessibility means doing our best to keep prices reasonable and fair so that we can make szade accessible to a larger community and cross section of people.

in line with keeping our brand accessible, we've also worked on creating different products to suit your budget, your needs and your style. we'll continue to add new categories in a range of materials and sustainable options with tiered pricing so you can find the perfect pair.

if you're reading this, you're likely looking for a new pair of sunnies and sussing us out to see if we're a good fit for you. we're not here to tell you why you should cop a pair of szades, but we are here to have an open dialogue about consumption and what that means in the age of overconsumption fuelled by social media, trend cycles and fast fashion.

fashion and self expression are a huge part of why we do what we do, and we love creating, designing and innovating staples and statement sunnies to complement your personal style. however if you're shopping because you saw a trending hashtag on tik tok, or saw your favourite content creator wear something similar, ask yourself the following to make sure you're purchasing something you'll love, wear and keep on heavy rotation in your wardrobe ;

- do i need it?
- do i want it?
- why do i want it?
- how will i wear / style this?
- does it suit my needs?

whether it's our cardboard shipper, the tag and card inside the case, our catalogues or our brand cards, we aim to use recycled paper and cardboard. we don't use single use plastics for stuffing and wrapping, and each frame is presented in recycled tissue to protect them during the packing process.