Towards a sustainable future with SAYE

As the saying goes, “Good shoes take you to wonderful places”, so if you wear your favorite shoes, you will naturally feel excited and your feet will feel lighter. Whether you are exercising, traveling, or spending time with someone special, it is difficult to reach your destination without shoes, even if your goal is different. What if the shoes that are essential to our lives and give us a sense of excitement were also made in an environmentally friendly way? Not only do they take us to wonderful places, but our own purchases can also be a catalyst for protecting the environment. SAYE is a brand that was launched in Barcelona in 2018 and deals in vegan sneakers and other apparel goods. The sneakers are based on low-cut sneakers, and you can enjoy a variety of color variations, so you’re sure to find a pair that you like, regardless of whether you’re a man or a woman. What is the future that SAYE’s sneakers will take us to?

The shoe industry is responsible for one fifth of the environmental destruction caused by the fashion industry

One of the most notable features of SAYE sneakers is that they use environmentally friendly materials. They use corn and apple-based vegan leather, yarn made from recycled PET bottles and organic cotton, and have been using recycled or bio-based materials since their founding. The company aims to “promote a meaningful lifestyle by providing vegan leather sneakers that are kind to the environment and people”.

According to SAYE, the shoe industry is responsible for one fifth of the environmental destruction caused by the fashion industry, and it is responsible for more than 1.4% of climate change. SAYE is taking these issues seriously and is challenging itself to find solutions. For example, in order to avoid using plastic, it is continuing to search for innovative, bio-based or recycled materials. In 2022, it formed a partnership with BCome, which supports fashion on a sustainable platform. As a result, they were able to measure the environmental impact of the process from raw materials to the consumer’s hands, and gain a clear vision of how the production process could be made more circular. The environmentally friendly sneakers that were created in this way were built by women.

A work attitude that thoroughly promotes gender equality in the workplace

The average age of the members who work at SAYE is around 29, so it’s a very young and fresh team. 82% of the team are female, and the management team is 100% female. Furthermore, despite being a Spanish brand, 64% of the team are from outside of Spain. This young, energetic team is united in its aim to lead the way to a better world through vegan sneakers. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination or inequality in the workplace. Since its founding, SAYE has placed importance on being a sustainable company and on the happiness of its suppliers and team members. Its suppliers are based in Spain and Portugal, and they guarantee fairness and transparency that match SAYE’s values. These are internationally recognized labor standards, and they follow the principles of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Most of the sneakers are manufactured in Portugal, and the company is pursuing sustainable partners in Spain, where the HQ is located. If the working environment is good, employees will be more passionate about their work, and this will lead to the creation of great sneakers that do not burden the environment. The HQ is currently a very small team of 15 people, but the impact they are making is so great that it is transcending Europe.

What we can do for the Earth and all the living things on it

Forests cover 31% of the earth’s surface, providing oxygen and a home for people and the animals that live nearby. However, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, people destroy forests the size of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg every year. That’s why SAYE invests in the growth of two trees for every pair of sneakers purchased. To date, they have planted over 320,000 trees. SAYE’s tree-planting activities are not just having an effect on climate change. The trees planted in South American and African countries provide work for local people, help to restore ecosystems, and provide homes for endangered animals. As a result, a total of 365.7 days’ worth of work was provided locally, and the number of farmers facing poverty was successfully reduced from 56% to 8%.
In terms of manufacturing, the company has reduced its water usage by 55% compared to the industry average, saved 46% of its electricity usage, and saved 46% of its fossil fuel usage. Even in terms of manufacturing, they have not faltered, and they continue to send out a sign of “change” that has a great impact on the industry.
“If you buy a pair of sneakers, you can participate in a tree-planting activity.” This is a very clever action that involves consumers. New life will sprout in the land that was once devastated by human hands, and it will become a lush green. In the near future, SAYE sneakers will take us to a reborn future where green spreads.