Steps to a better future
A Cleaner
Footprint
Footprint
Watch Your Step!
Your carbon footprint is a lot bigger than your shoe size. We all produce carbon directly or indirectly when we turn a light on, take the subway, run hot water, and even when we read sentences like this one out loud. Some of this carbon rises into the atmosphere and some of it settles in our oceans.
Why Go Carbon Neutral?
Carbon neutrality means eliminating one’s carbon footprint by taking as much or more carbon out of the environment than one puts in.
At the current rate of output, the world is emitting too much carbon to maintain its climate, and that means higher temperatures, dangerous weather events, coastline flooding, and we don’t want to be a part of any of that. If we want to be serious about maintaining our climate and environment, going carbon neutral is an important step.
While we are able to significantly cut down emissions by building our shoes from recycled materials and using sustainable processes, we are purchasing carbon offsets to neutralize more emissions from the environment than we create in our operations. From day one, we’re committed to being carbon neutral to help offset our environmental impact.
WTF?!
What are the facts on carbon emissions and climate change?
 30Pounds of CO2 created, on average, by manufacturing one pair of shoes. |  700 MillionMetric tons of CO2 created by the footwear industry, 1.4% of all global emissions. |  2050The year by which sea levels will have risen as much as 19 inches at current rates. |  440,000Square miles of coastline, home to 375M people, will be lost to rising sea levels by 2200. |
Investing in Carbon Offsets
We calculate our carbon emissions at every step of our shoe’s lifecycle — material sourcing, production, shipping, warehousing, and general operations — and purchase “carbon offsets” to support verified third party projects that are reducing emission in the environment. The projects we are investing in include the expansion of forests that capture and store carbon, wind energy generation, and the replacement of fossil fuels with biofuels. Through carbon offsets, we are taking more carbon out of the environment than we’re putting in — resulting in a net zero carbon footprint for every shoe we make. Our partners include:
Blandin Foundation (Reforestation) — 📍Minnesota
Giriraj Bundled Wind PowerProject (Wind Farms) — 📍India
Intrinergy Wiggins (Biofuel) — 📍South Carolina
A (Nothing) New Future
We’re not stopping here. Offsetting our carbon footprint and using 100% recycled materials in our shoes and packaging is a good start, but we believe every company should always innovate to better preserve our planet - we don’t get a second chance. We look forward to fulfilling our Virtuous Circle program to help ensure every one of our shoes finds a safe, environmentally friendly end. Beyond that, we will always be on the lookout for new ways to incorporate recycled materials and new environmentally friendly technologies into our business operations.
A (Nothing) New Future
We’re not stopping here. Offsetting our carbon footprint and using 100% recycled materials in our shoes and packaging is a good start, but we believe every company should always innovate to better preserve our planet - we don’t get a second chance. We look forward to fulfilling our Virtuous Circle program to help ensure every one of our shoes finds a safe, environmentally friendly end. Beyond that, we will always be on the lookout for new ways to incorporate recycled materials and new environmentally friendly technologies into our business operations.
