The “FSC® 100% rubber” logo guarantees that the rubber used comes exclusively from FSC® certified forests or plantations. The Forest Stewardship Council® campaigns for fair and responsible handling of with people and nature. Forestry should be ecologically sustainable, socially beneficial and economically efficient. They conceived ten principles as guidelines that apply worldwide – transperancy, acknowledgment of forest workers’ and local people’s rights, efficient use of the forest in the long term, preservation of biodiversity and ecosystems, plantations complements the use of natural forests, no clear cutting. These principles are transformed into national, locally adapted standards. Independent auditors check once a year if these standards are complied with. Furthermore all parties of a supply chain have to be FSC® certified in order to put the logo on the final product. This COC certification (chain of custody) checks for example that FSC® certified raw material doesn’t get mixed with others. (more information: www.fsc.org)
The cotton for our products is cultivated according to organic standards, that’s to say near-naturally and environmentally friendly.
As all our resources are organic and/or FSC® certified they don’t contain any harmful chemicals. Therefore neither the producers exposed to these substances nor does the final product contain any residues of e.g. agrotoxins. However vulcanisation requires specific substances that can stil be found in the final product. The colours we use are synthetical ones and comply with the European standards (REACH). Same goes for the final product.
We want to minimise our CO2 footprint as much as possible. On the one hand we choose preferably shipping in order to avoid the heavy emission load of airfreight. On the other hand we try to forego plastic where possible. But sometimes others put a spoke in our wheel: Until recently our shoe bags were sewed out of old coton rice sacs. Now the Indian government mandated that rice sacs must be made of plastic because of hygenic issues. That’s why the packaging of our shoes is going to be made of plastic, but at least it’s recycled plastic.
