Our Materials

Oroz & Co is proud to be amongst the first brands working with some of the most innovative and sustainable materials on the market. By using these materials in our products we also hope to inspire and challenge the use of traditional materials such as animal leather and petroleum based plastics.

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* CORN LEATHER ALTERNATIVE:
 

Usually, synthetic leather substitutes are petroleum-based. Instead, our leather alternative is made from renewable resources, specifically the end of life corn. Our manufacturer, in Italy, extract this starch from the corn plant fibres, break it down into sugars, ferment them and separate them into polymers (also known as "bio-polyols")
Our corn leather has less than half the environmental impact versus animal leather which is a leading contributor to deforestation, water scarcity and more greenhouse emissions than fossil fuels.

 

Its not only sustainable, its also highly durable, waterproof, light, soft and looks and feels great!

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The material is recyclable, made without the use of harmful solvents and is fully REACH compliant (an EU regulation protecting human health and the environment). In addition, the USDA (a US federal department) certifies that the corn bio-materials in our sneakers only use organic raw materials in production, meaning an extremely low environmental impact. It has also passed ISO international standards tests for seam rupture, tear resistance, tensile strength, light and colour fastness and abrasion resistance.

 

 

 

 

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* ORGANIC RECYCLED COTTON:

A natural cellulosic fibre which is 100% biodegradable, organic cotton is an environmentally friendly fabric that’s extremely durable, breathable and hypoallergenic . We believe organic cotton is the way of the future, and want to support organic cotton farmers and the demand for this kind of certified material.

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*R-PET:

For the inside of our bags and sneakers, we opted for a fabric made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) from 100% recycled plastic bottles (R-PET). The bottles collected are sent to collective sorting centres where they are broken down. The resulting pellets go into the industrial circuit to be processed, either in new plastic bottles or as in our case, in lining for our apparel. We give a second life to between 3 and 12 plastic bottles to make each of our products, preventing those plastic bottles from polluting our landfills and oceans.


*RECYCLED EVA:
 

EVA is Ethylene Vinyl Acetate. With very elastic polymers, EVA is a plastic with the soft, flexible qualities of rubber. It’s comparatively more resistant to heat, cold and UV than plastics with similar qualities, so it lasts longer. Oroz & Co sneakers´ foam insoles are made with recycled EVA, manufactured from EVA pre and post-consumer waste into a re-usable soft, flexible and comfortable material. Unlike many other plastics with similar qualities our EVA is produced without the addition of harmful chemicals like BPA, chlorine or phthalate plasticizers.

*BIODEGRADABLE OUTSOLES: 
 

Oroz & Co sneakers are made with an innovative and biodegradable TPR material, composed of vegetable oils and SBS (Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene), a thermoplastic rubber with high elasticity characteristics. They are specially formulated for an accelerated biodegradation when subjected to the correct microbe-rich environments (180 days).

 

Oroz & Co outsoles have an unlimited shelf life and are completely non-toxic. Their compounds attracts micro-organisms allowing them to control their PH level and become quorum sensing and colonize on the surface of the compound. Once the microbes have colonized on the compound, they secrete acids that break down the polymer chain. Microorganisms utilize the carbon backbone of the polymer chain as an energy source. Biodegradation is a natural process that is essential in maintaining our planet’s ecosystem and nutrient cycles. 
 

*ORGANIC LATEX FOAM:
 

Latex is a natural, renewable material derived from the rubber tree. Since the trees are not cut down during harvesting, its production is sustainable and carbon-negative. We use this foam to make our sneakers more comfortable as well as a padding/protection in our products.
 

 

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Product Certificates:
 

• PETA APPROVED VEGAN: It certifies there are no animals involved in none of the production processes of our products
   

• OEKO TEX STANDARD 100: It guarantees all textile materials we use during the manufacturing process fulfill with the maximums quality standards to be in contact with your skin
   

• GRS Global Standard Recycled: It proves the product content is recycled. It also verifies social, environmental and chemical reliable practices in their production

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