We sat down with Hannah Kowalski, Warby Parker's Head of Impact, to talk about where the company is heading. How has their thinking evolved? What are the biggest challenges now? What parts of their original approach still hold up? What emerged was a picture of a company trying to figure out what impact really means at scale.

 

Warby Parker is pushing beyond their buy-one-give-one model. They're rethinking what impact looks like as they scale, moving from distributing glasses to tackling systemic vision access issues. "We're asking harder questions now," explains Kowalski. "Giving away glasses helps individuals, but we want to address the infrastructure gaps that create vision inequality in the first place."

 

The shift is practical. Warby is investing in vision screening programs in underserved communities and training local optometrists in regions where eye care professionals are scarce. They're also piloting mobile clinics that can reach rural areas where brick and mortar stores will never make sense. "The next phase is about building sustainable systems, not just providing individual donations," shares Jason Martinez, who leads retail operations. "We're looking at how to create lasting infrastructure for vision care in places that currently have none." They're experimenting with new approaches to measuring impact. Tracking longer term outcomes like improved educational performance and employment rates in communities where they've increased vision access.

 

"We're moving beyond simple metrics," explains Sofia Patel, a product manager working on impact initiatives. "We want to understand the actual life changes that result from better vision access." This means partnering with researchers and community organizations to gather real data on outcomes. Warby is funding studies that track students who receive glasses and how their academic performance changes over time.

 

Loooking at employment data in regions where they've expanded vision care access. Environmental impact is also getting more aggressive attention. They're exploring biodegradable frame materials and developing take back programs where customers can return old glasses for recycling or refurbishment. "Our current frames are durable, but eventually they end up in landfills," notes Ryan Cooper, a senior engineer. "We're working on materials that either break down naturally or can be fully recycled into new products."