
Sustainability
By Feven Moreau
@thats_so_feven
As we evolve as humans, we are beginning to focus more and more on how we can help our environment and, ultimately, our health. Considering the current climate and declining state of the world due to how we treat it, it is only right that we make as much effort as possible to restore it. Re and upcycling have always been a method of reusing what we don’t need. However, is creating sustainable clothes and shoes a healthy growing trend?
For those of you who are not entirely sure what is meant by a sustainable product or what exactly all the hype is about, it is basically using products/materials to create things without damaging the environment as a lot of the products that are used in the production of several items are. In aid of improving the earth’s climate, several different brands have stepped up with sustainable collections or transformed their entire brands with this agenda at heart.
Some of these brands include Pretty Little Thing, H&M and Converse. People who have specific diets, e.g. vegans and vegetarians, are also in full support of this movement, as the more brands turn sustainable, the fewer animals are suffering in the name of production. Animal rights activists are also in full support of this agenda as it ultimately affects the animals. Approximations made by the organisation for economic cooperation and development (OECD) stated that 258 billion dollars go towards crimes that affect the environment, including the exchange of illegal wild animals. This is practically double the amount of money that the development aid distributed internationally in 2015. (2021) With that being said, this clearly shows that environmental misconduct affects animals and takes money that is used for developing nations from the government, which ultimately restricts their ability to comply with the sustainable development goals(SDGs).
As the sustainable fashion industry has grown, multiple celebrities have donated to charities to support a green world and assist in growing the sustainability market. Ian Somehandler, Leonardo Di Caprio and Kristen Bell are among celebrities who have played a big part in supporting this. (2021) (Nations, 2021) I did my own research to see which brands are truly making a difference when it comes to specific fashion categories, such as sneakers. Many are just beginning to make the transition. However, Veja has made sustainability a priority from the beginning.
VEJA is a French footwear brand Co-Founded in 2004 by Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion. This brand works directly with small producers in Brazil and Peru to produce eco-friendly trainers that focus on making trainers that are non-harmful to society, ultimately making them sustainable. Veja is also one of the only sneaker brands that have taken sustainability seriously compared to other brands that are only incorporating it now because it is a growing trend. When it comes to manufacturing a pair of Veja shoes, here is a breakdown of the products used and how they are used. The sole is made of recycled plastic bottles from Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro streets, and it takes three bottles to create one pair of shoes. They also use Amazonian rubber for the soles; Natural rubber is a resin from the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis)-a latex. You can find this type of tree in the Amazon rainforest, which can be harvested whilst not destroying any trees. (Veja Sneakers – Wikipedia, 2021)
For the shoes’ exterior, Veja uses vegetable-tanned leather rather than regular leather, which uses a large amount of Chrome, producing massive pollution levels. Vegetable leather is Chrome free, only using organic compounds. They also use organic cotton, provided by organic cotton farmers in northeast Brazil and food plants. The cotton is cultivated without chemical compounds or pesticides. (Sneakers for women | Women’s trainers | Shoes for women (VEJA, 2021)
Consumers told Elle magazine that Veja trainers are usually comfortable apart from the initial breaking-in period, which happens at the beginning stage of purchasing most trainers. Other than that, most people described them as their most comfortable pair of trainers. One of my favourite things about Veja is that they don’t follow the conventional colour codes/designs of women’s trainers. Veja provides trainers for men, women and children. The variety in the women’s section allows women to choose their own colour-way. Customers can also use Veja trainers for multiple different activities. Dress down with a summer dress or ankle skirt, or throw them on to go to the gym. The choice is truly yours.