Backed by evidence: Earthbound™ is OEKO-TEX® certified!

First of all, what is STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® ?

STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® was created with the vision of protecting the consumers from harmful substances in textiles.

If the product carries the STANDARD 100 label, you can be certain that every component of the product has been tested for harmful substances and truly is harmless to human health.

We are proud to share that Earthbound sneakers are the only sneakers in the world that hold this certification for the entire product, and not just certain components. 

 

Kind to your feet as we are kind to nature

We founded Earthbound with the vision to create a product that is not harmful to humans or to the environment. One of the biggest roadblocks in our journey was the prevalence of vague information in the sustainable fashion industry as it makes it difficult to gain trust from the customers. With this certificate we can safely claim that our sneakers truly are kind to your feet as they are free from all substances that could be harmful to human health.

How does this translate into our product?

We are going to great lengths to work exclusively with trusted suppliers who care for people and the environment in the way that they don’t treat their crops or raw materials with pesticides or any other substance that could have a negative effect on human health. Consequently, this means that our materials won’t interact with your skin in a negative way.  

While making sure our sneakers don’t have a negative impact on your health by using natural materials such as wool, hemp and cork, we have addressed one of the biggest issues people have with sneakers. Sneakers are something you wear for the better part of your day and the average person will develop foot odor after a full day of wear. This happens primarily because of the choice of materials. By using the combination of wool, cork and hemp, all three of which are breathable and bacteria-resistant, and by avoiding harmful chemical treatments, we have created a sneaker that can be worn for days without negatively affecting your feet.

Solely focusing on natural materials in production is definitely the harder road to take when developing footwear, but alongside the benefits described above, natural and toxin-free materials utilized in the right way also extend the product lifespan (e.g. hemp is incredibly durable while wool is water and dirt-repellent) and ensure maximum comfort for the user. Opting for natural rubber outsoles resulted in our sneakers being incredibly flexible while still having good grip and superior abrasion resistance. Using wool in our uppers means our sneakers are thermoregulating and easy to maintain which is key in developing a product that has a longer lifespan and therefore is more sustainable.

 

Let the evidence speak for itself

Now that we have secured third party certification that speaks to the quality of our entire product and its positive impact on human health, we are looking forward to proving that our sneakers are not harmful to the environment, so we recommend you stay tuned as we have two more important findings to share with you soon - the final calculation of our CO2 footprint and the third party laboratory results that confirm our sneakers are 97% natural.  

Why is Earthbound the first OEKO-TEX certified sneaker in the world?

In order to get certified, each material and component needs to go through rigorous testing before the final product is allowed to carry the STANDARD 100 label.

Unlike apparel, which often consists of one or two different materials, footwear normally consists of more than a dozen different materials that are fused together during the manufacturing process. This is due to the fact that footwear needs to fulfill major requirements like comfort, durability, protection and style.

And this is precisely the challenge we accepted when we started MIRET - how to replace all those traditionally used materials like leather and petroleum-derived materials with environmentally friendly non-toxic components while meeting all these requirements. 

The STANDARD 100 label is the ultimate evidence of our success in responding to that challenge.