Footwear group Caleres has introduced a new designation to present its shoes as sustainable, calling the new programme its One Planet Standard, writes Leatherbiz.

According to a statement from Caleres, the One Planet Standard will consider the sustainability products across their entire lifecycle. The standard is based on six key pillars: sample reduction, materials, packaging, supplier environmental and social governance (ESG) initiatives, brand philanthropy, and end-of-life solutions.

One Planet builds on the group’s own Sustainable Footwear Index; One Planet Standard designation will apply only to products that score at least 51% on the Sustainable Footwear Index. “Each shoe is assessed and graded, from start to finish,” the group said, “with sustainability measures that require more effort and investment receiving more points.”

For pillar two, which focuses on materials, the group evaluates and scores the materials in the shoe upper and in the lower part of the product’s construction.

The materials it focuses on are leather, synthetics, fabric and shoe bottoms. There are specific criteria for referring to the material used in a specific shoe to earn the designation ‘Environmentally Preferred Material’.

In the case of leather, Caleres has said: “Leather offers unparalleled craft, comfort, quality, fit and durability. However, the production of leather uses processes and materials that can impact the environment.” It said wanted to help reduce the environmental impact of leather by sourcing from tanneries that are audited through independent third parties, including Leather Working Group (tanneries certified as silver or gold), Oeko-Tex or Italy’s ICEC.

In 2022, 85% of the leather Caleres used was environmentally preferred. By 2025, its goal is to increase this to 100%.

Its brands include Allen Edmonds, Franco Sarto, Famous Footwear, Sam Edelman and Vince.