Materials
Our aim ever since we founded Flamingos Life has been to produce vegan sneakers and save millions of animals that the fashion industry kills to make shoes.
Unfortunately, our alternative was using plastic, a material that’s 99% petroleum-based and other conventional materials of the shoes industry. Being loyal to our project, we worked on the development of plant based and highly biodegradable materials in our commitment of saving the planet.
From corn waste we have developed a vegan and bio-based material that provides a comfortable, environmentally friendly alternative to leather.
Corn waste material has passed the most important quality standards and it's gone through flexion tests being actually more durable than leather.
The upper material for Leonardo 02, Retro 86s, Retro 90s, Classic 70s and Roland V.10 sneakers is made with corn waste material that’s certified by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Bamboo, a renewable and easy to grow material that requires zero chemicals or pesticides and absorbs greenhouse gases.
Benefits of bamboo as a sustainable material:
RENEWABLE SOURCE
Bamboo can be harvested in one to five years, depending on the species. In comparison, hardwoods like oak trees grow for at least forty years before they can be harvested.
FAST GROWTH RATE
Some species of bamboo will grow as much as 1 metre per day. It’s the fastest growing plant on earth. Bamboo does not require replanting - when harvested, it will grow a new shoot as a result of its extensive root system and help protect the surrounding soil from erosion.
NO CHEMICAL PESTICIDES OR FERTILISERS
Bamboo requires no agricultural chemicals to grow.
GROWS EVERYWHERE
Tough and durable plant that can be grown throughout the world and thrives even in harsh conditions, from low wetlands to high in the mountains.
ABSORBS GREENHOUSE GASES
Bamboo sequesters carbon dioxide from the environment and produces 35% more oxygen than equivalent-sized trees. Large-scale bamboo plantations can become effective “carbon sinks,” areas designed to reabsorb CO2 from the atmosphere.
Leonardo 02, Retro 86s, Retro 90s, Classic 70s and Roland V.10 collections incorporate lining made from bamboo.
Conventional cotton is genetically modified. It's been developed to withstand glyphosate, a pesticide used to eliminate wild plants and pests. It's classified by the WHO as “probably carcinogenic to humans”.
Conventional cotton degrades ecosystems and pollutes the environment.
Glyphosate is used at 90% of the conventional genetically modified cotton plantations.
Marketed under the name Roundup, it’s a compound that penetrates the soil, filters into drinking water and leaves residue in crops: it’s in what we eat, in the water we drink and in our bodies.
Environmentally, the use of pesticides in cotton monocultures is capable of causing all kinds of damage to habitats, flora and fauna.
In addition, planting conventional cotton also involves purifying the soil with phosphates, killing the soil’s capacity for supporting a variety of plant life and making it unusable for other crops.
The solution is to farm organically, where techniques such as crop diversification and rotation are used to control wild plants and the natural habitat is supported to increase the presence of insects that prevent pests.
Organic cotton is grown using pesticide-free cultivation standards, controlling insects with natural repellents, implementing crop rotation techniques and using natural seed as a base.
Cultivating cotton organically respects the biodiversity of the land where it is grown, which promotes fertility for future crops. Organic growth methods also respect the health of workers who are harmed during conventional cotton cultivation by inhaling chemical products, as well as the health of people who will use the cotton products.
Organic method encourages small economies, helping farmers to lead more sustainable lives.
Another positive aspect of organic cotton is the characteristics of this material, softer and much more breathable than conventinal cotton.
All our models incorporate shoelaces made with organic cotton.
We use recycled polyester materials such as Nylon, Lycra and Seaqual for details on the upper of some models in our collection.
These materials are composed of 100% recycled polyester yarn derived from post-consumer plastic, some recovered from marine environments.
By choosing recycled polyester, we contribute to a more sustainable future by reducing plastic waste and promoting the development of circular economy principles.
Details on the upper of some models are made with Seaqual.
Leonardo 02, Retro 86s, Retro 90s and Roland V.10 collections integrate these recycled materials.