Materials
Every part of the Elppá is listed here: what it’s made from, where it comes from, and how much of the shoe it makes up.
Appleskin™
The upper is AppleSkin™, made from the cores, pips and skins left over from apple juice production in Bolzano, Northern Italy. They’re dried, milled into a fine powder and applied to a woven cotton backing. Natural pigments give each colourway its colour, and a protective finish makes the material water-resistant and hard-wearing.
AppleSkin™ is 48% apple waste, 19% organic cotton, 17% bio-based polyurethane, 14% polyester and 2% natural pigments. It contains no animal materials.
Sole and insole
The sole is made by hand in Portugal: a recycled EVA midsole and a rigid, textured rubber outsole, cemented rather than stitched through to the upper. The welt around the top edge carries decorative stitching only.
That keeps repair simple. When the outsole wears down, a cobbler can fit a new one, such as a Vibram rubber outsole. If the midsole needs replacing too, the whole sole can be rebuilt with a standard EVA midsole, and the upper stays intact.
Inside, the removable, cushioned insole is made from recycled automotive materials, and the lining is recycled microfibre from the Portuguese textile industry.
Laces
The laces are GOTS-certified organic cotton, made in Portugal from cotton grown without chemical pesticides, herbicides or GMOs.
Packaging
The box is made 3km from the factory in Portugal. It’s FSC-certified, contains no plastic and is fully recyclable, and it doubles as the delivery box.
