What makes this brand sustainable?
At eugenie, we do the research so you can feel confident about the products you purchase, use, and wear.
Our team thoroughly evaluates the sustainability practices of every designer we feature, ensuring your choices support a positive impact on the world.
Sustainability can be complex, so we've broken it down in a way that’s clear, simple, and easy to understand.
Natural Materials
VEJA sources organic cotton directly from the local farmer associations in Brazil and Peru. Sourcing directly from the producer cuts out costs and waste associated with using a middleman, and delivers more profit to the local producers. Peruvian and Brazilian organic cotton farmers meet the American, European and GOTS certification standards for organic content.
This brand also sources ethical rubber for all of their shoe soles. They purchase rubber directly from cooperatives formed by families of rubber tappers at over 5% more than the going market rate. VEJAS generous support allowed their rubber suppliers to meet the Fair for Life certification as of 2019. This certification guarantees long-term and direct trade relationships, fair prices, good working conditions, and the prohibition of forced labor.
Finally, all the tanneries supplying VEJA leather, ChromeFree leather, suede, and nubuck are Gold certified by the Leather Working Group (LWG) which means they are produced in safe, ethical facilities that have been vetted by a third-party system.
Social Standards
VEJA partners with local NGO’s to provide agroecology-related technology and education for their cotton producers. This support improves the social and ecological systems locally and nationally. Additionally, VEJA exclusively partners with organic cotton and rubber producers who meet Fairtrade certification standards. These standards protect and support the wages and working environments of VEJA production partners.
B Corp Certified
VEJA is a B Corp certified company with a performance score of 84.2, which is over 30% higher than the average. The B Corp certification requires businesses to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Unlike most mainstream businesses, B Corps value every stakeholder equally rather than catering only to profit-driven shareholders. This means you can feel confident that a B Corp certified business is making responsible and mission-aligned decisions to beneficially impact both people and planet.
Recycled Materials
VEJA was the first sneaker brand to utilize B Mesh in their products. B Mesh is a fabric made entirely out of 100% recycled polyester, coming from recycled plastic bottles shredded into flakes and then transformed into fibers in a Brazilian factory.