The latest addition to The Big Issue Shop is hoping that the Force is with it when it comes to improving the shoe industry across the globe.
Po-Zu was founded in 2006 to offer fashionable footwear with an eye towards the environment. They use natural and sustainable materials such as organic cotton, pinatex (leather made from pineapple leaf fibres), wool, cork, and natural latex are carefully selected to offer the ultimate in comfort, warmth and durability.
But it’s not just your sole on Po-Zu’s minds – they are also thinking of the workers.
Award-winning entrepreneur Sven Segal spent a decade designing shoes for mainstream brands before discovering harmful substances while touring factories he visited in Asia, where 87 per cent of the world’s footwear is made.
The rise of mass production has kick-started the quest for low costs and speed with many workers forced to work long hours braving dangerous working conditions and harmful substances for little pay.
That inspired the Po-Zu founder to create a glueless shoe construction, Edible Shoe Cream and an adaptable Foot-Mattress™, among other sustainable products. Sven’s has put his foot down to halt unethical practices, waste (an average of three pairs per person are sent to landfill each year) and loose standards for workers, leading him to launch the Better Shoes Foundation in 2016.
