Saola

SAOLA was born out of one man's passion for protecting our planet. A lifelong outdoor lover, Guillaume couldn’t find any eco-friendly shoes to wear in his day to day life. The struggle was real, so he quit his job, pulled together a small but mighty international team of outdoor, surf, and footwear industry veterans, and started a brand that would address the global need for cleaner manufacturing and a cleaner planet - SAOLA Shoes. Those super comfortable and pastel colored sneakers are made out of the following materials: 

• RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES (PET): The uppers of SAOLA shoes are made with recycled plastic bottles (PET). You know it as the plastic used to make food packaging and plastic water bottles. Depending on the style, each pair of SAOLA shoes contains between four and five recycled PET bottles. And one more thing. When recycled, PET goes through a cleaning, grinding, and melting process that results in thread giving second life to plastic and reducing trash in our landfills.
• DES SEMELLES D'ALGUES: SAOLA insoles and many of the shoes’ outsoles are made with recycled Algae Foam. Rising temperatures and excess chemicals in our lakes and rivers contribute to the growth of algae - harming the lives of plants, animals, and humans. We’ve partnered with the team at Bloom Foam to harvest harmful algae and create eco-friendly, bio-sourced materials for the insoles and outsoles of our shoes. Using Algae Foam allows us to use fifteen to twenty percent less synthetic materials in our soles, cleans lakes of harmful algae, and prevents the release of CO2 into the atmosphere. Now that’s what we call a win for mother nature, and a win for your feet.
• ORGANIC COTTON: We use organic cotton for our laces. Pesticides and chemical fertilizers are replaced by natural compost, and this cotton requires half as much water as traditional cotton. The end-result is cotton that is softer, more flexible, and way kinder to the planet. 
• CORK: The top layer of our insoles is made with cork. Cork is a natural and highly renewable material harvested from the bark of cork trees. This process causes no harm to the trees. Cork also creates a healthy walking environment for your feet, as they mold to the shape of your foot, reduce joint stress, and are odor resistant.