In 2024 I will continue to work closely with expert consultants to help guide us on this pathway, including our board member with extensive industry experience in the sustainability space, and a highly experienced chemical engineer in New Zealand to help navigate us with interpreting chemical testing results, and to understand the optimal compound mixes and viable alternatives.

Our packaging is now made from 80% recycled fiber and 20% FSC certified virgin (new) materials to give the strength we need to ship the boots (and it is fully recyclable).

Our shoe boxes and tissue are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified as FSC mixed (recycled and mixed). This means that all the paper we use on and in our shoe boxes comes from paper that we can certify is from controlled FSC legislated plantations and from already recycled pulp. (If you are not familiar with FSC, you can read more about FSC here).

We currently use virgin (new) rubber for our Bobbi, Billie, Darcy and Bobbi Kids styles. We are in the process of testing 100% recycled rubber. Our new styles Tully and Fergie use FSC certified natural rubber in the uppers and 20% recycled rubber in outsoles. We undertake all our normal testing to ensure the products can still deliver on our design and performance expectations.

We currently use a virgin (new) neoprene for the lining of our product. We are also investigating other neoprene alternatives and they are currently in the testing phase.

We are currently using EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate) in our Bobbi, Billie, Darcy and Bobbi Kids styles. Our Tully and Fergie boots use a recycled PU (Polyurethane foam). We are testing and exploring options of recycled or sustainable materials that can also give an improved wearing experience.

In 2023, we donated 330 non-sellable but wearable products to Thread Together who distributed them to those affected by the Kimberley Floods in Western Australia. We continue to only order what we think we will sell and never discount our products and promote conscious shopping. We are investigating and testing other options to recycle the products our customers wear when they are finished wearing them. For now, if you are in Australia you can drop your worn boots to any Tread Lightly drop location https://treadlightly.asga.com.au/collection-locations/ to be recycled into flooring.

Our intentions are always to make quality, considered and useful products that can be wardrobe staples - never to produce gimmick fast disposable fashion. With each new product we add to our range we endeavor to use the best materials to offer performance with the least environmental impact.