Description
High top vegan lace-up Sneaker in organic cotton featuring a screen printed Po-Zu butterfly logo.
Entire sole including foxing and toe cap is made in locally sourced Fair Trade rubber sole, certified by the Fair Rubber Association. Featuring removable memory-foam Foot-Mattress™ (allows orthotics placement) in latex and coconut husk.
Materials:
Organic Cotton
Organic cotton is generally defined as cotton that is grown organically from non-genetically modified plants, and without the use of any synthetic agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides.
Organic cotton has many advantages over conventionally grown cotton:
Farmers are not controlled by Genetically Modified Corporations
Farmers who buy GMO seeds must pay licensing fees and sign contracts that dictate how they can grow the crop. The small-scale farmers who produce the majority of our cotton face high risks such as an increased use of pesticides (GMO Corporation promised a reduced use of pesticides but actually the use of chemicals stayed the same or increased) and bigger costs (the seed which farmers have to buy from seed companies every year are much more expensive than conventional hybrid seed; farmer also have to spend much more on pesticides and other farm inputs).
Organic cotton puts choices in the farmer’s hands.
No hazardous and dangerous pesticides used
GMO agriculture has led to superweeds and superpests that are extraordinarily difficult for farmers to manage.
As organic cotton farmers around the world demonstrate every day, cotton can be grown without pesticides. By eliminating all hazardous synthetic pesticides in its production organic cotton offers a healthy and sustainable farming future for farmers and their families. Organic takes the toxic impact out of producing cotton.
It enables farmers to grow other crops for food and income
Organic farmers grow a diversity of crops to maintain healthy and fertile soils and fight off pests. By diversifying crops, farmers can also diversify their income. Growing food or other crops helps insure organic farmers against crop failure, climate variability, price volatility and changes in market demand.
Saves water
Organic cotton uses less water, preserving a scarce and precious resource for the future
Organic farming practices create healthy soils which make better use of water inputs and are more resilient in drought conditions. By eliminating the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, organic cotton keeps waterways and drinking water safe and clean. The water pollution impact of organic has been shown to be 98% less than non-organic cotton production.
Combats climate change
Organic cotton farming uses less energy and healthy organic soils store more carbon.
Organic cotton farmers are doing their bit to combat climate change. By eliminating the use of manufactured fertilisers and pesticides and reducing nitrogen inputs, organic cotton growing produces up to 94% less greenhouse gas emissions. By maintaining their health, organic practices turn soils into a carbon ‘sink’, removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
Coconut Husk
Natural Rubber
The term natural rubber or caoutchouc (from Indian, meaning tears of weeping tree) refers to a coagulated or precipitated product obtained from latex of rubber trees – latex is natural clogging substance during healing of wounds caused by mechanical injury of these plants and it serves mainly as defense against herbivorous insects.
Natural rubber is often vulcanized – a process by which the rubber is heated and some substances (sulfur, peroxide or bisphenol) added to improve resistance and elasticity and to prevent it from perishing.
Although natural rubber is biodegradable, vulcanized rubber (commonly present in our shoes) and rubber from tires are non-biodegradable.
Fair Rubber
Low prices drive natural rubber producers into poverty and serious violations of working rights are common. This is the harsh reality revealed in a the study conducted by Aidenvironment . The comprehensive review of literature reveals numerous cases of inadequate safety standards, inappropriate use of toxic chemicals, discrimination and structurally long working hours and child labour. It points to the need for more responsible sourcing practices by the rubber industry with particular attention to fair trading conditions.
Wild Rubber
Over half the rubber we use is synthetic. Some 11 million tons is natural rubber, mainly grown in large plantations in Asia. Less than 1% comes from rubber trees growing wild in the Amazon where rubber originated.
But wild rubber could be making a comeback – and that’s good news for the Amazon. Sustainably harvesting wild rubber from the rainforest is improving the livelihoods of local people – and providing an economic incentive to keep the forest standing.
Synthetic Rubber
Synthetic rubber (commonly named “rubber”) is not a sustainable material as it is made from petroleum.
Fair Rubber Certification
The aim of the Fair Rubber Association is the expansion and application of the concept of Fair Trade for products made from natural rubber. In the Fair Rubber Association, companies engaged in rubber products, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and individuals work together. The ultimate aim of the Association is to thereby contribute to an improvement of the working and living conditions of the primary producers of natural latex (rubber), as well as promote the environmentally friendly production natural rubber, as chemical free production first and foremost benefits those engaged in the cultivation of the natural rubber.
The most important instrument of Fair Rubber is the Fair Rubber logo for products which fulfill the criteria of Fair Trade in natural rubber. The Fair Rubber Association in particular ensures the payment of the Fair Trade premium by buyers of natural rubber. The primary producers of rubber decide themselves how the Fair Trade premium is spent. Fair Rubber also helps, if requested, producer partners with FSC® certification.
Positive Luxury
Positive Luxury’s mission is to inspire people to buy better and influence brands to do better. We award the Butterfly Mark to luxury brands that are committed to sustainability, helping consumers shop with confidence.
The Butterfly Mark is an interactive trust mark that identifies the brands in the Positive Luxury community of #brandstotrust. It offers brand transparency at the point-of-sale in a consumer-friendly way.
To earn this coveted trust mark, brands must pass a stringent annual assessment that examines sustainability from a holistic point of view; encompassing governance, social and environmental frameworks, philanthropy and innovation.
The Good Shopping Guide – Ethical Company
The Good Shopping Guide reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly of the world’s companies and brands, assisting you in choosing more eco-friendly, ethical products that support the growth of social responsibility and ethical business as well as a more sustainable, just society. From armaments involvement and corporate corruption to human rights abuse and animal welfare, our research focuses on three general areas: People, Animals and the Environment. In each product sector a detailed breakdown of each company can be found, helping you get a clear picture of what’s actually going on behind the brand.