MATERIAL
NATURAL RUBBER
The soles of the “PAST” Sole Sneaker are made of LACTAE HEVEA®
natural rubber manufactured by RELTEX in France.
RELTEX, which is recognized as a Living Heritage company, is a company that manufactures shoe soles with natural rubber.
Hevea brasiliensis, or more commonly known as the Para rubber tree, is a tree that is widely cultivated in tropical regions and is the primary source of natural rubber.
By making spiral cuts in the back of the Para rubber tree trunks,
the produces a milky sap which can then be harvested.
The harvesting of the milky sap does not inhibit the growth of the tree, but on the contrary, encourages it.
All of the Para rubber trees used are cultivated in plantations.
After 25 years, the trees are cut down, and new Para rubber trees are replanted.
ORGANIC COTTON
The upper of the “PAST” Sole Sneaker is made of GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
certified organic cotton produced in Spain and Portugal.
The GOTS is an organic standard for processing textiles. It not only requires that the raw fibers, such as wool, cotton, and silk, are organic,
but also that environmentally and socially responsible methods are used in all processes of harvesting, processing, manufacturing,
and distribution of the fibers, and that they are managed so that they are not mixed with or contaminated by ordinary products.
Organic cotton refers to cotton that has been produced in accordance with standards for organic agricultural production methods,
has been harvested over a period of at least two to three years, and has been grown on farmland that has been certified by a certifying organization,
in compliance with standards for agricultural chemicals and fertilizers, and in compliance with social norms during cultivation.
In ordinary cotton cultivation, many chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used, such as pest control and defoliating agents,
so cotton cultivation imposes an environmental burden on soil and water quality.Organic cotton, on the other hand,
is grown without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. As a result, the amount of organic cotton consumed will increase,
which will lead to an expansion of organic farmland, resulting in a reduction of CO₂ and improvement of soil and water quality,
thus protecting both the environment and human health.
Many cotton production areas are located in developing countries, and many poor farmers are suffering from debts to buy pesticides.
The health hazards of the people working on cotton farms are also said to be serious. Organic cotton is rare,
with less than 1% of the world’s cotton production said to be organic in the 2020 report for 2018-19 data.
All other parts of the “PAST” Sole Sneaker are made of biodegradable materials.
Biodegradable means that the material can be broken down by microorganisms.
The information on this page is used in General Scale Edit.01/Edit.02/Edit.03.
In Edit.04 and later collections, some or all of the materials and productions of the products are different.