Brazilian brand Insecta makes handcrafted eco-friendly, vegan footwear out of recycled materials.
According to the brand’s website, its products use “recycled PET bottles, recycled cotton, reclaimed rubber, vintage clothing, reusable fabrics and leftovers from production that would otherwise be thrown away.”
In the last five years, the company has recycled more than 21,000 plastic bottles, 3,500 lbs of cardboard, and more than 198,000 lbs of cotton.
Insecta isn’t just challenging itself to be a fully sustainable brand. It’s also helping customers to become more eco-friendly; in exchange for sending back a pair of shoes once they are worn out, consumers can receive a discount code to spend on another pair.
It doesn’t stop there. The website explains that if the shoe is reparable, they will make the necessary fixes and resell them at a reduced price, the proceeds of which are then reinvested into social causes. If not, it is broken down and the parts reenter the production cycle.
Insecta also makes backpacks from materials such as car seat belts and umbrellas. The company confirmed that seat belts are used to form bag straps, while the fabric is made from reclaimed umbrella material.
Business Ethos
Launched in 2014, Insecta’s ethos centers around four main principles “aeganism, sustainability, feminism, and Brazilian-ness.”
The company website states that veganism “is, above all else, the awareness that animals are sentient beings and we have no right to exploit them.” To that end, the brand recognizes that “wherever possible, reducing the consumption of products derived from animal suffering is a constant necessity.“
It also cites “the UN suggests that a global move towards veganism is vital in order to save the world from hunger, fossil fuel poverty and yet worse impacts on climate change.”
The company aims to be transparent about its processes. Each item has an “understand our price” section, listing how the price of the shoe is broken down into tax, administration and production costs.
The website states “we believe that transparency can be a transformative tool for more responsible consumption, therefore we work with open costs.”
As well as in its own two shops in São Paulo and Porto Alegre, Brazil, Insecta’s shoes are stocked in both the U.S. and Europe. It can also ship its products internationally.
