Natural Rubber
Natural rubber is coming from plants grown responsibly, obtained from the processing of latex from the rubber trees in the Amazon. Fun fact, at the time of the Aztecs, rubber was already used in various sacred rites and used as offering. This civilization also practiced the juego de pelota, a game played with a natural rubber ball.
As of today it is mainly used in shoes, or certain bags, and it's appreciated for its ability to withstand shocks and its low thermal conductivity. According to WWF, natural rubber can have a beneficial impact when grown responsibly and its sustainable cultivation, even on severely degraded land, helps to recreate ecosystems. In all, about 6 million small producers produce natural rubber.
VEJA uses the material for the soles of their vegan sneakers, since at the moment it's the only material able to support the quality required for shoe soles.
Bamboo
Bamboo is a sustainable material with a very fast growth rate, as some species of bamboo will grow as much as 1 metre per day: it’s the fastest growing plant on earth.
It does not require replanting: when harvested, it will grow a new shoot as a result of its extensive root system and help protect the surrounding soil from erosion.
No chemical pesticides or fertilisers are required for bamboo to grow and it also sequesters carbon dioxide from the environment and produces 35% more oxygen than equivalent-sized trees. Large-scale bamboo plantations can become effective carbon sinks, areas designed to absorbs greenhouse gases fromt the athmosphere.
Flamingos' Life, for example, incorporates lining made from bamboo in most of their shoes collections.
TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal
Fibers used under the TENCEL™ brand are derived from certified and controlled sources following the guidelines of the Lenzing Wood and Pulp Policy.
TENCEL™ branded modal and lyocell fibers are produced via environmentally responsible production processes and are compostable and biodegradable, thus can fully revert back to nature.
Featuring botanic origin and biodegradable quality, TENCEL™ can enhance the breathability of fabrics, that are gentle on skin with long-lasting softness and color vibrancy. They can be combined with a wide range of fibers to enhance the aesthetics and functionality of fabrics.
Sustainable brands like Organic Basics, ThinkingMu and Vitamin A use this material as it provides a high quality substitute to cotton, while being eco-friendly and respectful to the environment.
LENZING™ ECOVERO™
EcoVero™ is a more sustainable viscose made using sustainable wood from controlled sources: FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC (Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) certified in Europe, instead of bamboo or eucalyptus, which is commonly used in normal viscose production.
The fibres are 50% lower in emissions and water impact compared to generic viscose. Furthermore, it is a fully traceable process using the chain-of-custody method.
REFIBRA™
The pioneering REFIBRA™ technology is made from upcycled cotton scraps from garment production: the technology gives a second life to pre and post consumer sources, which would otherwise be sent to landfills or incinerated.
The cotton scraps are transformed into cotton pulp. A substantial proportion of this is added to wood pulp, and the combined raw material is transformed to produce new virgin TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers to make fabrics and garments.
By being able to use discarded garments consisting of a wider range of materials it is possible to enlarge the raw material basis for textile recycling. This innovation is a groundbreaking step towards tackling the global issue of textile waste disposal. At the same time it reduces the extraction of wood as a raw material and relieves the pressure on global forest ecosystems.
Cupro
Cupro is a regenerated cellulose fabric made from cotton waste. It is made using the teeny tiny silky cotton fibres, known as linter, that stick out of the cottonseed and are too small to spin. The linter is dissolved into a cuprammonium solution, which is a mixture of copper and ammonium, dropped into caustic soda, then spun into fibre. Much like Tencel and Modal, cupro is a plant-based material that is chemically processed to produce the resulting fabric.
Cupro is said to have all the positive qualities of silk: It is silky-smooth and drapes just like the luxurious material.