Boots that won’t walk all over the environment - By: jennyhicks

With growing demand for ethically manufactured and environmentally friendly products, clothing and footwear manufacturers have struggled to shift their focus from rapid mass production of the latest styles to the creation of carefully considered products which have a minimal impact on the environment and which stand up to long-term usage. The choice between keeping costs low and manufacturing in a more responsible way is proving difficult for some.

Happily this is not the case with Timberland, the world-renowned manufacturer of Timberland boots as well as a full range of footwear from boat shoes to sandals.

Timberland has made a firm commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and has implemented a strategy that encompasses civic engagement, environmental stewardship and global human rights.

There are four key elements to the Timberland strategy. The first is to become carbon neutral, offsetting its carbon footprint by reducing emissions. The second is to design recyclable products that can go on to be used in another revenue-generating guise after life as a shoe. The penultimate element of the Timberland CSR strategy ensures fair, safe and non-discriminatory work places. Finally, Timberland has an employee volunteer programme which works with communities to improve their green spaces and experience of the outdoors.

The range of Timberland boots that perhaps best typifies this commitment to CSR may well be the Earthkeeper collection. These outdoor-tested Timberland boots leave a small environmental footprint and feature recycled laces and linings. They are built to be durable offering an alternative to the throw away nature of less robust footwear.

Consumers are really starting to think about how the items they purchase have been produced and what sort of impact the process may have had on the environment as well as communities and individuals. Timberland boots are a great option for the ethical shopper looking for a shoe with a small carbon footprint. They are also a fantastic way to get out of the ‘buy it cheap, wear it once and throw it away’ habit, which has become so prevalent in the last ten years.

Even when the boots have reached the end of their usable life, an incredible 80 per cent of the materials on them can be recycled or reused, from the already 42 per cent recycled rubber sole, which can be returned to the Green Rubber factory to be recycled again, to the removable metal hardware.

More and more big brands are waking up to CSR and the need to consider the environment during the production process and we hope that many more shoe manufacturers will be following in Timberland’s footsteps in the next few years.

Timberland boots are all purpose, water resistant and incredibly durable but if boots aren’t your thing, or if you’re after something for the summer, Timberland also have boat shoes and loafers as part of the Earthkeeper collection.

About the Author

Check out the latest Timberland boots and work boots available online with Cloggs and receive free UK delivery on every Timberland shoes order.

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