We make products with less carbon footprint.
Our consumer habits is taking toll on the environment. We hashtag this habit #fastfashion . We buy stuff that we use only for one season. The quality of the clothes has adapted to this habit. Most of my t-shirts don't last more than five washes. Clothes we can easily donate and recycle. But how about shoes? Worn out shoes do not get donated as they are no longer wearable. So they end up filling landfills.
Europe’s annual footwear consumption amounts to 2,600 million pairs, which means that about 1.5 million tones/year of footwear end up in urban dumping sites.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/naturalista#results
The concept of recyclable sneakers is born. How do we make eco-sustainable shoes? We go back to each component. The upper is handwoven by indigenous communities from the Philippines. They do not employ electric machines to weave. Fabrics are woven purely by hand. They also produce unique designs with cultural value.
The inner sole is made from algae produced by Bloom Foam*. They harvest algae from freshwater sources like lakes, ponds and rivers at risk of algal bloom. The harvesting of the algae keeps these water sources clean and protects aquatic life.
Another component is made from recycled PET. It is important that we support recycled PET industries. If we recycle PET but there is no market for them, these industries will eventually die out. The world just produces too much plastic. China is the biggest importer of recycled plastic has already reduced its demand due to lack of market industries for its use. The long term solution would really be to reduce plastic waste. But as of now, we live in time where PET is indispensable.
See: https://www.economist.com/special-report/2018/09/29/a-chinese-ban-on-rubbish-imports-is-shaking-up-the-global-junk-trade
The last component is rubber. We are working with manufacturers using recycled rubber in producing rubber soles. As variation, we also use SBR* (same material as rubber tires) which is recyclable rubber. For more info : Tampere University of Technology, Finland „Closing the loop: Rubber Recycling“ 2009 Study
See: https://www.tut.fi/ms/muo/kumi-instituutti/seminaarit/syksy2009/dierkes.pdf
It is a long way to produce 100% recyclable shoe. But as of now, we adapt to the current situation as we continue to take small steps by making products with less cost to the environment.
We hope you will join us in this journey to DeCarbonize our planet.