Rothy’s aim is a sustainable future for fashion by converting eco-friendly textiles into elegant and everyday-use products. They are constantly retesting and optimizing their sustainable efforts.
Approximately 12 billion shoes are produced worldwide each year, and unfortunately, 85% of those end up in landfills. Another not-so-fun fact is that every minute one million water bottles are sold globally.
Rothy’s are working to help solve these two issues. They make their shoes and handbags out of recycled plastic bottles while also making sure they are recyclable.
Their products are designed with quality and longevity in mind. They own and operate their own sustainable factory in China, allowing them to bring their Rothy’s family’s personal touch to the production. Not only are their shoes designed to last, but they are machine washable too. Plus, there are heaps of different designs to choose from.
Rothy’s Recycled Material
Rothy’s uses a blend of marine plastic they created themselves and Rothy’s signature thread, spun from single-use water bottles.
- Their bags are made from 100% recycled marine PET plastic.
- Their shoes are made using their signature thread made from recycled plastic bottles with sustainable outsoles and non-toxic, biodegradable adhesives.
Fun Fact: Rothy’s has used 45+ million single-use water bottles, which is going up all the time.
Closing the Loop
In 2021, Rothy’s is planning on launching a recycling program. Their goal is to close the loop and create a completely circular process. They already use recycled plastic in their products. The next step is to take these products back, recycle them and make them into something new.
In August, they completed the first phase of this program, working out how to deconstruct shoes into different types of materials. They are still on track to launch their pilot recycling program to the public by the end of 2021.
Other Kudos
- They follow sustainable and responsible manufacturing standards.
- Rothy’s are partnered with Carbonfund.org and offset their carbon emissions via The Envira Amazonia Project. This is a payment structure for ecosystem services forest conservation, and it protects nearly 500,000 acres of tropical rainforest. They offset 9,775 tons of carbon in 2019!
- Rothy’s is a strong believer in caring for their workforce as a family. They have health and wellness benefits for all their employees, whether they be in the San Francisco head office or the workshop in China.
- Rothy’s is not afraid to sell out of products as this means they are not overproducing.
- They are striving for zero waste at their workshop.
- All of Rothy’s bags and shoes are 3D knit to shape, which produces much less waste than the usual manufacturing practices. Accuracy combined with modern technology results in exact sizes being produced and no more offcuts and waste on the factory floor.
- All Rothy’s bags and shoes are machine washable – there are instructions for this on their website.
- Their packaging is 100% recycled and biodegradable options.
- Rothy’s has a goal to have a fully circular production model by 2023. The goal is to have an end-of-wear solution for every product that they produce.
Recycled Products
