Better materials &

Design

For us, sustainability begins with what our business is all about: safety footwear. In 2021, Allshoes sold more than 700,000 pairs of safety footwear. Naturally, we are proud of that, but it also means a huge responsibility. To produce new shoes, raw materials are needed and they are often scarce. There is also the matter of extracting and processing raw materials which cause to the release of CO2. We are therefore faced with a few major challenges, but we will not run away from them. We are working hard to make our product range more sustainable. This sustainability begins by purchasing the right materials and implementing circular principles in our designs.

“When designing a new shoe, I do not look only at aesthetics and safety. I find it is also important to innovate and especially in the area of sustainability. I do this by researching new materials, production technologies and techniques and product assembly structures, and by thinking outside the box. What will the safety footwear of the future look like? What do we need to develop them? It is the out-of-the-box solutions that can make a major contribution to a sustainable future.”

Sustainable materials

On average, a work shoe consists of 20 to 25 parts and materials. All of them must meet many functional requirements. The comfort, tensile strength, water-resistance and heat- or slipresistance of a material are all factors that are taken into consideration when designing a shoe. The additional environmental impact also plays an increasing role in the design process. Our portfolio now consists of dozens of materials and new materials are constantly being added. But how to assess whether or not a material is sustainable?