Hemp is an ancestral and very ecological plant. This strong plant grows in the temperate areas of the globe.

• It has been one of the first plants used by humans for more than 10,000 years.
• Its culture is safe for the environment  because it requires almost no chemicals and water.
• It also cleans the soil, captures carbon and is a biodiversity reservoir.
• We choose hemp from North Vietnam, a traditional material fabric woven without electricity ! More Details

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plant on earth. This plant is widely used in many industries (from construction to food…). At Gorfoo we use bamboo as a textile, which brings softness and comfort to our garment.

• We use certified organic bamboo
• The bambou comes from forests controlled by the Forest Stewardship Council in China.
• Moreover, the factory recycles about 95% of its wastes and almost 99% of the water needed to make the fibers.

Bamboo planks are also introduced in our skateboards to make them strong and flexible.

Cork is a wood material which comes from the bark of the cork oak tree. This tree mainly grows around Mediterranean sea and Portugal is the main producer worldwide. It grows quickly and its bark renews naturally. It can be collected every 5 to 10 years. Cork is a material with various assets :

• Light,
• Liquide impermeable,
• Thermal insulator,
• Classified as one of the most durable organic materials. Almost not subject to the natural ageing process.

We use it for our collection of bags, as a great eco-friendly alternative to leather or synthetic fibers.

Organic cotton represents about 1% of cotton production on Earth.

• Unlike conventional cotton, organic cotton doesn’t require any chemicals, fertilizers or GMOs.
• Moreover, the quantity of water is strictly controlled.
• Organic cotton is a non allergenic, soft and comfortable material which is safe for humans and nature !
• We use it for our T-shirts, blended with organic bamboo.
• Besides, we recycle organic cotton wastes from India in order to make the paper for our stickers.

Cinnamon cassia is a tree cultivated mainly in tropical eastern and southern Asia. It can grow up to 15 meters ! The bark of this tree is collected every year and renews naturally. It is crushed which results in a powder often used for cooking. We have included cinnamon in our comfort insoles to benefit from its various properties :

• Thermoregulatory power,
• Energizing and stimulating effect,
• Odour control.

The rubber we use for shoe’s outsoles is a natural rubber (NR) from trees (Hevea). We select this natural rubber instead of plastic rubber from petrol, like EVA. The rubber trees are absorbing greenhouse gas very well. Originally from South America, Hevea now mainly grows in Asia.

Jute tree is a plant mainly found in India, Bangladesh & China. It is a resistant tree, easy to grow and performs well against soil erosion. Nowadays, jute is the second natural fibre produced in the world after cotton. Main products with jute are bags.

Ramie is a plant from the nettle species but non-itching.

• It mainly grows in Asia.
• This plant has been used for more than 5000 years by humans to make textiles and paper.
• Ramie has long fibers and the yarn which results from this plant is very strong.
• Some Chinese regions still grow and transform Ramie in a traditional way.
• We use those handcrafted woven fabrics for the Gorfoo wallets collection.

The coconut tree originates from Asia and Oceania. It has gradually spread in all the tropical areas of the globe, where it easily grows.

• We use the fibers which surround the coconut in order to cushion our insoles.
• This is also a way to benefit from the antibacterial properties of coconut fiber.

Linen fabrics are made from the flax plant. This is a plant known for thousand years as a material for textiles, very interesting for agriculture and ecology.

Nowadays, the main producers are European countries such as France & Belgium.

In order to promote recycling technologies, we blend our rubber outsoles with recycled tires (up to 30%). The process of recycling tires and rubbers (because tires are made of rubber) is called « devulcanization ». This modern technology is a good way to clean the landfills and saves energy from raw materials extraction such as petrol.

Devulcanization saves biodiversity against monoculture of rubber trees and destruction of tropical forests.

Plastics are almost all produced from petrochemistry, which is a very polluting industry. Even if plastic is a convenient and versatile material for the people, it must be used carefully in order to avoid plastics being thrown into nature as they spread toxic chemicals. We recycle them to make new products.

The recycled plastics can be from industrial or post consumer wastes.