Commitment to sustainable and responsible business practice will always be at the core of Raíz Atelier's values. We approach this, not only by limiting our production runs, but through three key metrics; Transparency, Circularity and Off Set.

TRANSPARENCY

Raíz Atelier designs, sources and works with environmentally conscious materials and components in its footwear and is committed to full transparency. Our materials are of the highest quality and standards as we design with purpose and longevity in mind.

~ All leathers are strictly vegetable-tanned (meaning there are no nasty chemicals used in the processing) and come from small artisanal family run tanneries in the heart of Tuscany. We use vegetable-tanned leather in our uppers, linings and insoles.

~ Our wedges are made with naturally renewable materials; wood, cork and wicker, all from PEFC certified suppliers.

~ Our outsoles are made with an eco-tpu rubber and attached with a water-based adhesive.

~ All hardware is nickel-free and contain 20% recycled metals.

~ We use rPET for our reinforcement tape and some stitching and for our more delicate stitching we use 100% cotton thread.

~ Our packaging consists of 100% post-consumer recycled tissue paper and care cards. Our shoe boxes are made from certified forestry suppliers. All packaging is fully recyclable.

~ Our shoe tote bags are made from 100% certified organic cotton and are designed to be re-used.

CIRCULARITY

Addressing consciously designed and made products is only part of the sustainability solution. Without circular design, products are likely to end up in landfill sites which only adds to our climate crisis. The circular economy is at the forefront of our considerations, and as such, we have designed our shoes to ensure that, at post-consumer life, they can be safely returned to the earth as compost, via our #reRaíz (reRoot) project.

This process is taken care of by us with our dedicated composting partner. We invite our customers to return their pre-loved Raíz shoes back to us where we ensure their transformation into compost to add nourishment to soil enabling new roots to form. We remove any hardware prior to composting and return back to our supplier to be melted down and reused.

(n.b. This process can only be assured through our official partner and is not suitable for home composting).

Whilst we are incredibly proud of our circularity achievements, it's important to remember that our products are meant to be 'cherished pieces' and are made to last.

OFF SET

Raíz Atelier supports TreeSisters.org, a women-led charity whose mission is to rapidly accelerate tropical reforestation by inspiring and channeling women's nature-based female leadership into local and global action.

With every purchase made on our website we pledge to plant 3 trees through our partnership with TreeSisters. To date TreeSisters have funded the plantation of over 11 million trees and are currently supporting the restoration of 10 ecosystems.

Sustainable - To meet the needs of today without compromising the needs of the future.

Renewable - A resource which can replenish itself.

Circular Economy - A framework for an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design. (Ellen MacArthur Foundation)