OUR APPROACH TO
SUSTAINABILITY
We combine ancient craftsmanship techniques with innovative production processes to create environmentally-friendly & long-lasting pieces, showing that we can work on a sustainable future while preserving wisdom of the past.
- Jessica Teeuw, Sustainability Manager
PEOPLE & PLANET FIRST, ALWAYS
Materials
The production of our leather huarache sandals and boots is made up of 3 main steps: the raw material sourcing, leather tanning and shoe production phase. All our production is done locally in Mexico to keep transportation short and emissions low, and ensure the most positive social impact.
(RAW)Material
Sourcing
Leather | The leather we use comes from cow hides that are a by-product from the meat industry.
Natural rubber | Natural rubber crepe comes from an indigenous South American tradition that involves a handcrafted process of several steps and requires expert knowledge and experience. Crepe rubber gives our huaraches a natural luxury finish, while also making them incredibly flexible, resistant and comfortable. This incredible material is capable of providing long lasting durability.
Upcycled airplane tires | Our boots are equipped with this innovative sole made from old rubber tires that would usually go to landfill. We decided to give these tires a second life. As soles for our boots, the recycled tire material provides extra durability, grip and support with every step.
Vegetable
Leather Tanning
Our leather, the most important resource in our huaraches, is vegetable tanned following a traditional, 200-year-old method and extensive 14-step process that takes up to 28 days. The cow hides are dyed using plant and earth-based tanning agents instead of harmful chemicals, and are naturally dried outside over multiple days.
We selected our suppliers in areas that have strict regulations for water treatments, so the water used for tanning our leather is properly purified before returning to Mexico's beautiful rivers and oceans.
Have a look inside our Leather Working Group-certified tanneries Beruma, LeFarc and Panamericana.
Shoe Manufacturing
All our footwear is handcrafted following age-old techniques. A pair of huaraches can take up to 4 hours for just weaving alone. A true piece of craftsmanship that. Our Chelsea and charro boots are Goodyear-welted to ensure extra comfort and durability. Our huaraches and boots are made in small family-owned workshops. This way, we can ensure our workers' rights and create long-term partnerships (that quickly turn into friendships too!). Read all about our Partners and our Fairness approach.
As biodegradable as possible
Learn more about our natural Crepe sole
Read moreBY AVOIDING HARMFUL CHEMICALS, WE CONTRIBUTE TO A HEALTHY MEXICO FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
SUSTAINABLE LEATHER
We strive for making the most of waste materials, so the leather we use is a by-product of the meat industry. The cow hides come from wide-open North American farms, close to our leather tanneries.
In order to make our products long-lasting, we needed extra resistant and durable leather. As such, we made sure to select suppliers that could provide us with the highest quality certified chromium-free leather. Our leather is vegetable-tanned and dyed using plants. No harmful chemicals here.
The tanneries we work with have been Gold or Silver rated by the Leather Working Group. This means that their commitment to environmental stewardship is backed by a well-recognized and industry-leading certification. This also includes routine auditing of the tanneries' manufacturing practices, operating permits, raw material sourcing, traceability, use of restricted substances, energy consumption, water usage, air and noise emission and waste management.
LOWERING AND OFFSETTING
We have consciously chosen to have our production in Mexico only. Most of our partners are based in Michoacan and Jalisco. By sticking to a small geographic region, we limit the carbon emissions from transportation between suppliers.
We offer flexible working arrangements for our international team in Mexico and Germany so they can work from home whenever they wish. Our employees are also encouraged to travel to the office via public transport or with their bike.
CRAFTSMANSHIP THAT PRESERVES WHAT'S GOOD
With our shoe collection, we keep the tradition of leather weaving and charro boot making alive in Mexico.
We work together with our jewelry workshop to come up with pieces that both tell the story of Mexico and have a design that stands the test of time. Our workshop uses high-quality recycled Sterling silver and upcycled brass that is 3 times gold-plated with 14K gold. This ensures a long lifespan and makes sure they are truly investment pieces.
Environmental commitment
As part of our philosophy, taking responsibility for protecting our environment is one of our major goals. That’s why we strive towards becoming more sustainable with the implementation of processes and materials that are non-polluting and organically sourced. We also seek to work with suppliers that share our planet-first philosophy and use certified processes that ensure high quality materials while protecting the environment.
Learn more about our Vision
'Sustainability' doesn't mean anything without
Transparency & Traceability
Strong sustainability claims remain just empty beautiful words if they are not backed up by proof. We know this. That's why we want to give you as consumer all the information we have about our production.
We work with supply chain transparency solution retraced to map your product's journey. By scanning the QR-code, you can go back to its origins. From the raw material sourcing to our warehouse in Germany.
Logistic Partner
Protecting the planet always comes first. Thus, we are happy to announce that one of our logistic partners, ASENDIA is 100% carbon neutral. They have been an integral part of our journey by delivering our customer’s orders outside the EU.
ASENDIA is committed to providing sustainable delivery solutions worldwide and as of January 2022, they are off-setting 100% of the carbon emissions caused by their international transport (which amounts to 270,964 tCO2e).
Since the beginning of 2021, ASENDIA has been investing in projects which promote renewable energy and support local communities. They recently received their Offset Certification.