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In recent years, issues such as ecology and eco-sustainability have captured everyone’s attention. We hear not only about environmental sustainability, but also about economic and social sustainability, when we discuss a future in which we will necessarily have to adopt new approaches to the way we produce, consume, relate to work and workers and, finally, the waste we produce.
As citizens and inhabitants of our planet, each of us is affected by the stress to which the environment is subjected and it is our duty to try to preserve it through sustainable daily behavior. The possibilities we have to achieve this goal are so many: reduce energy waste, carry out proper separate collection, recycle and reuse objects as much as possible.
Among the best practices of a sustainable lifestyle there is certainly the choice of ecological and recyclable products. All the items that end up in our garbage cans were bought as new then, but it’s only when we get rid of them that we realize how many types of materials (or rather “polymers”) they can’t unfortunately they must not be reused, thus ending up feeding waste.
Choosing a sustainable product is therefore one of those small actions that fall within our possibilities and that can make a difference for the fate of the planet and for future generations.
How to choose an eco-sustainable product
When we buy any type of product, from grocery stores to fashion purchases, we have the responsibility to place an object in the environment that will one day inevitably become waste with all the elements that accompany it : packaging, packaging, etc.
And not only that: in recent decades, the offshoring of production processes has seen more and more companies trying to reduce their expenses by finding resources and manpower in regions of the world where worker protection is practically non-existent. For this reason, when we find ourselves buying goods of any category, very often we find ourselves without realizing it feeding systems that are the exact opposite of sustainable.
Even when we are committed to choosing the products we buy, it is not at all easy to understand when a product is sustainable and when it is not , also because many manufacturing companies keep their polluting and disrespectful practices towards the environment hidden from the public eye and its employees.
So what can we, as customers and consumers, do to ensure that our smart choices translate into concrete actions to improve the lot of our planet?
First of all we can start by asking ourselves three simple questions every time we find ourselves making a purchase of any kind, namely:
- Where does the product I buy come from? Discovering the origin of a good is always a good starting point for conscious consumption. This is information that companies are required to share (the “Made in …” item on each type of product), and knowledge helps us to get an idea of the production practices that led to its creation: Just think about how much the regulations on environmental impact and on labor protection change from country to country.
- What is it made of ? An issue that must not be limited to the composition of the product, but which concerns with the same importance the packaging with which it is presented, packaged and shipped, and which is the first thing that ends up in the trash. Preferring products made and packaged with recycled or recyclable materials, obtained without damaging the environment or the communities that reside there, is certainly a small step towards a great positive change for the planet.
- What will happen to me when I no longer need it? Few things last forever, and most of the things we surround ourselves with and use every day certainly do not benefit from eternal life. But stopping using something doesn’t mean that object will suddenly cease to exist. So it would be a good habit to responsibly treat the end of that object that diligently performed its task until the moment we decided to refuse it, and a conscious action in this direction can be done from the moment of purchase: choose products easily recyclable once they reach the end of their life cycle.
One of the objectives set by the top governments of many industrialized countries, and therefore a topic in which more and more companies are actively interested, is that of converting to a circular economy in which waste and pollution are reduced to zero the circle every time something is thrown away, to recycle it and then reintroduce it on the market as a raw material .
A company that can be considered sustainable is therefore a reality characterized by great attention to the well-being of its employees, of the communities residing in the areas affected by its production, and which is committed to the development and application of technologies that minimize the its impact on the environment.
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Greening industrial production
Being a sustainable company can mean making choices that can influence, with the intention of reducing, the environmental impact of your production activities. This happens in the design and production of items that do not burden the environment because of the raw materials used, the way they are processed and the disposal requirements they will have at the end of their life.
The issue of the raw materials used is of great concern to us, with the aim of greening our production systems. This also includes the choice of packaging which , as we have mentioned, plays a major role in defining a truly ‘green’ item.
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Reposa’s green offer: Eco-friendly SMART and POWER
When it comes to eco-friendly footwear, it's essential to choose eco-sustainable, recyclable materials with a small environmental footprint.
Reposa, in its own small way, has also chosen to design green, eco-friendly clogs which are 100% recyclable, from the granules to the packaging!
Reposa's ‘green’ line mainly features two models:
- Reposa Smart: the ergonomic and comfortable closed-shoe model, made from
an innovative expanded compound that's lightweight and velvet-soft to the touch.
- Reposa Power: the clog variant, made from the same polymeric compound and equipped with anchor strap at the heel.
The recyclable raw material
Reposa Smart and Reposa Power are made from soft expanded rubber, which is surprisingly light but as high-performing as the technical rubber SEBS (Styrene-Ethylene-Butylene-Styrene).
In several respects, the material is very similar to cross-linked EVA and vulcanised rubber, but since this model is not vulcanised, the shoe is fully recyclable, 100% re-immersible into the plastic cycle and partially recyclable in the production process itself.
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Reposa recyclable rubber
The raw material that makes up Reposa Max and Reposa Easy is styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene, abbreviated to SEBS: a styrene-based block copolymer in which the elastomeric phase is modified by hydrogenation.
The elastomeric phase gives it the elastic properties and softness of a rubber; the plastic phase gives it stiffness and resistance to thermal abrasion. Its saturated chemical character, i.e. without double bonds, makes it particularly resistant to UV rays and weathering.
It is a material very similar to vulcanised rubber, but since vulcanisation is not necessary and therefore does not occur, it is completely recyclable.
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Reposa recyclable packaging
The lighter, more durable and produced with minimal use of paper and environmental resources, the more environmentally friendly the packaging can be, and the closer it comes to being good.
Optimised packaging, which reduces both processing and waste, can only benefit the environment. Disposal and recycling are simplified, the use of environmental resources is optimised and waste production is minimised. In addition, transport itself is facilitated thanks to the reduced volume of the packaging.
The packaging used by Reposa is 100% ecological, environmentally friendly and yet still complies with product safety requirements.
Reposa’s attention and commitment to eco-sustainability is also evident in the other lines made with materials that are not completely recyclable. For these lines the company is committed to finding the right solution to allow the reuse of as many parts as possible, thus avoiding their destruction, which would be harmful to the environment.