The DNA of our Recreate

Once upon a time in 2019, a crazy company named Paprcuts had the crazy idea to produce a green sneaker. Green because sustainably and fairly produced. We want to walk green over our blue planet. 

We really put thought into the composition of our sneakers. Fair working conditions must be without exploitation or exposing other people to dangers, as is often the case with the tanning process of animal leather. Furthermore, the Materials should be sustainable and preferably CO2 compensated. Bringing all this together was an exciting project and we are incredibly proud of the result.

Overall, our Recreate consists of seven different materials and lots of love. Welcome to biology class for sneakers, because now it's about the DNA of the Recreate.

So first about the little word “organic,” which actually makes a big difference. The The shoelaces are made of organic cotton. Because in our research we were very surprised that conventional cotton accounts for about 25% of the insecticides and about 10% of the pesticides used worldwide. Therefore, we decided on organic cotton, which is produced without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides. This not only protects the environment but also the health of the farmers in our supply chain.

The The framework and the toe cap consist of vegan leather: animal cruelty-free. That was very important to us, because why should an animal suffer when there is another way. We source the material from bio-polyols from a small factory in Italy. The raw material consists of field corn. 50% of the organic material comes from renewable sources. The production facilities are completely powered by photovoltaic generators - this absolutely matches our idea of sustainable production.

Also our heart material was allowed Tyvek must not be missing, after all it is a significant part of us. That is why the material is found in the Paprcuts logo and the heel cap again. Tyvek® is produced in Luxembourg, so we have only a small CO2 footprint here. In addition, it is 100% recyclable, which offers the possibility to produce new products while protecting our beautiful planet and conserving resources.

A bit like walking on clouds. This is possible because the footbed made of cork consists of. Cork trees are found in the Mediterranean region; for example, we source it near our production in Portugal. The material is an environmental all-rounder: it is elastic and fire- and water-resistant. What ultimately convinced us completely was the sustainability aspect, combined with recyclability and high wearing comfort. To make the footbed inside even more comfortable, we integrated a foam cushion. 

With a focus on protecting our environment, we chose natural rubber in our sole decided. Rubber is 100% renewable. Additionally, the material can be easily recycled and is biodegradable. The production of natural rubber consumes only about 10% of the energy required for synthetic rubber production. The sole adapts perfectly to the foot due to its high elasticity and thus prevents pain, even when worn for a long time. This guarantees good comfort in all life situations. For our PRM sneakers in gold and silver, we chose an upcycled sole. Don't be surprised, that's how the black spots come about. Quite special, plus on top sustainable.

Still missing is the inside (apart from the feet). In the inner material of our Recreate sneakers we have used a microfiber called Natura. The material is 100% breathable, with a soft and natural feel and a texture that resembles leather. The microfiber can absorb multiple times its own weight in water and, due to its thermoregulating effect, provides a feeling of maximum comfort while the inside of the shoe remains completely dry. Especially in combination with the perforated, vegan leather on the sides, this makes a good combo.

So far so good. But what about CO2-compensated? We previously had the CO2 consumption of our sneakers during production calculated. This includes the materials, delivery routes, and the factory to ultimately get an overview of the CO2 consumption. Therefore, we plant a mangrove tree for every pair of sneakers sold in Bangladesh, to compensate for the CO2 used. We only have this one beautiful planet - let's take a little more care of it.

All in all a green thing, don't you think?