Browsing Tag

Sustainability

Birkenstock’s 250 year focus on sustainable materials

Posted on November 4, 2024

Birkenstock shoe, sole, manufacturing process, environmentally friendly, sustainable materials

Celebrating 250 years of this iconic shoe, the focus for Birkenstock is becoming more and more about the environment and manufacturing their creations sustainably.

Dating back to 1774, every Birkenstock footbed is made of natural cork, natural latex, jute and suede, which is used as the top layer.

BIRKENSTOCK AND SUSTAINABILITY

The brand uses the highest-quality leather, working with textile materials, such as high-quality wool felt, made from pure merino wool. For those customers looking for animal-free products, there is our proprietary synthetic material Birko-Flor®.

RESPONSIBILITY IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN

A high proportion of the natural materials that Birkenstock uses are from sustainable sources: cork, natural latex, jute, leather and wool felt are among their most important materials.

One of the main raw materials used is cork – a natural and sustainable product that boasts high elasticity, outstanding cushioning, and excellent heat and sound insulation. It is comprised of dead thin-walled cells that have been filled with air. The cork layer is reproduced and can therefore be harvested again and again without harming the tree.

A single tree can provide 100 to 200 kilograms of cork during its life. To ensure that the cork is hygienically clean, the bark that has been removed is cooked thoroughly in tanks. It is then cut into strips that will be used to punch the bottle corks.Natural cork oak forests only exist in the western Mediterranean basin. The majority of the cork processed by Birkenstock comes from southern Portugal, the world’s largest raw cork-exporting region. Natural and planted cork oak forests in Portugal cover a total of some 750,000 hectares – about 8% of the total surface area of the country.

Then there’s jute, which provides additional stabilization of the cork and latex core in the original Birkenstock footbed. In addition, the plant fibers improve the moisture-regulating properties of the footbed. Jute is a renewable resource as well.

Natural latex serves as the natural binding agent in the production of the footbed. Like cork, natural latex is also a renewable resource. Natural latex is obtained from the resin of rubber trees.

Breitling is leading the way for luxury watches as a sustainability champion

Posted on June 17, 2024

Breitling is leading the way for luxury watches by putting sustainable manufacturing and materials at the forefront of their DNA. Putting a precedence on traceability with lab-grown diamonds and artisanal small-scale operations, ensures that this 140 year old brand is truly thinking of the future.

These changes start by looking to the source of their precious materials. From artisanal and small-scale gold, lab-grown diamonds, upcycled packaging, and sustainable straps, by 2025, all Breitling’s products will be made with this level of transparency.

Their Origins-label watches are supplied by artisanal and small-scale gold and lab-grown diamonds which are fully traceable to producers who have been individually selected for their responsibility towards their employees, their local communities and the environment. The entire supply chain is documented, verified, and shared back to consumers.

The brand is also rolling out traceablity via blockchain-backed provenance records for their watches, starting with the Super Chronomat Origins and engaging their suppliers to increase their own sustainability performances.

Bold steps for Breitling, but their focus on a green future also includes making a groundbreaking shift to flat-fold watch boxes made of upcycled PET material, achieving carbon neutrality and eliminating plastic waste across all their operations.

fashion

AMANDA x By M.A.R.Y Sustainable Capsule Collection

Posted on June 7, 2024

Sustainable fashion is about three key elements; material, production and community. I believe whole-heartedly that we need to use our consumer choices to help implement actual change. Being a conscious consumer goes past the immediate pat-on-the-back to ensuring the data focused analytics that retailers use to produce en-masse aren’t adding to the problem of over 21 billion tonnes of clothing ending up in landfill every year, with our singular trend-led transactions.

I collaborated with local slow-fashion designer By.M.A.R.Y. to create a capsule collection of linen, silk and organic cotton based timeless pieces that are season-less and sustainable. These pieces also allowed us to profit share with the initiatives that we believed in, both locally and internationally.

As we both had causes close to our hearts… we decided to give back to both. ⁠ ⁠⁠

By M.A.R.Y is an ode to the women we admire, it’s our vision to mix African style with a twist of modern rock and a bang up-to-date contemporary attitude.

For Marie it’s the people.⁠ ⁠ “I believe in the importance of giving back to the continent where I grew up and want to share the success of By Mary. That is why we support the Grand Bassam Orphanage for girls in the Ivory-Coast by giving the girls a chance at an education after they leave the orphanage. In the last 2 years we have helped support 60 young girls.

For Amanda it’s the planet.⁠ ⁠ “Azraq’s mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect the marine ecosystem and species.”⁠

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💙🌊 For The Oceans – Cigarette Butts with Amanda Rushforth and Azraq 🌊💙

Posted on July 7, 2020

Every year 4.5 Trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide, with a significant percentage finding their way into our oceans and onto our shores. In fact, 30-40% of all items collected in coastal and urban clean ups are butts. Azraq highlights that most people do not realise that cigarette filters within cigarette butts are made from a type of plastic called cellulose acetate which doesn’t biodegrade.

In 2003, The Dubai Municipality introduced a 500 AED fine for littering them. This fine has doubled to 1000 AED with six black points for drivers flicking cigarette butts onto UAE roads. Not only being unpleasant aesthetically, cigarette filters are comprised of thousands of chemical ingredients, including arsenic, lead, nicotine and ethyl phenol, all of which leak into aquatic environments.

As well as smoking being bad for the environment, smoking killed more than 2,900 people in the UAE in 2016 and cost the country $569 million in lost productivity and health care costs, according to the latest report on global smoking. In 2016 it was reported that, 748 cigarettes were smoked per person aged over 15 years, per year in the United Arab Emirates.

Here’s my third video highlighting marine conservation with Azraq ME 💙🌊 I’d love to hear what you think! #marinedebris #fortheoceans #oceanconservation

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💙🌊 For The Oceans – Useless Utensils with Amanda Rushforth and Azraq 🌊💙

Posted on June 18, 2020

Azraq highlights that it’s no secret that the hospitality sector is one of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution globally, and they think all of those plastic utensils that they give away (you know, the ones that end up among the most common items found during costal clean ups) are pretty useless!

In 2016, Worldcentric.org estimated that 40 billion plastic utensils were used every year in the United States alone. The majority of these were thrown out after just one use and ended up in landfills and waterways… something must be done. In order to highlight this problem, and hopefully get people to think twice about their usage, AZRAQ launched its #uselessutensils campaign in mid-2019 in partnership with Freedom Pizza, Lush Middle East, Carluccio’s and Beitfann Studio (Sustainable City). With your help, they collected approximately 60kg and over 30,000 plastic utensils in six weeks!

Here’s my second video highlighting marine conservation with Azraq ME 💙🌊 I’d love to hear what you think! #marinedebris #fortheoceans #oceanconservation

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💙🌊 For The Oceans – Marine Conservation with Amanda Rushforth and Azraq 🌊💙

Posted on June 7, 2020

Azraq is a non-profit marine conservation organisation registered with the Community Development Authority in the UAE. The mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. The aim is to EDUCATE through awareness programs and community presentations, MOTIVATE individuals, organisations and communities at large to make a difference and ACTIVATE them by offering a range of activities on, in and around the ocean.

THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY.

The marine environment needs help. Why not you? Whether you volunteer at a stall, help keep our shores clean and safe or can encourage others to care about the oceans through art, there are many ways you can become a marine warrior helping Azraq conserve and protect our precious oceans.

I’ve been working on a few videos during lockdown for my new role as a director at Azraq – to highlight marine conservation 💙🌊 I’d love to hear what you think!