SAOLA is just entering its second season of retail sales, so it's still pretty new to the game, but when it comes to ticking all the eco-friendly criteria, you can tell right away that this company isn't messing around. From top to bottom, its shoes make my tree-hugging heart sing. Consider this:
- The uppers are made from 100 percent recycled PET, despite looking like suede. Each pair contains 3-4 recycled plastic bottles.
- The insoles and outsoles are a plant-based foam made from algae. Not only does this clean up the environment and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, but it also makes a super-light shoe that weighs 40 percent less than its conventional lookalikes. Rubber panels add grip at high-contact points on the bottom, and there's a layer of comfy cork on the inside (removable if you want another kind of insole).
- The laces are 100 percent organic cotton.
- Three percent of profits will be donated to environmental conservation projects. Currently, the ones being supported are the Surfrider Foundation, One Tree Planted, and Save the Turtles. You can choose which group you'd like to support when you make an online purchase.
To be honest, I haven't felt this hopeful about an eco-friendly fashion startup in a long time. What SAOLA is doing is cutting-edge and ingenious; I'd even call it revolutionary, something that has true potential to reshape an industry that's notoriously damaging to the environment and workers.
If SAOLA can consistently turn out fashionable, functional shoes with great sustainability specs at such a reasonable price point ($99-$109), then there's no excuse for other companies not to follow suit and clean up their own production methods. Shoes made from recycled and biodegradable materials can, and should, become the new norm. Learn more on SAOLA's website.
© SAOLA -- Women's Atakama shoes (used with permission)