Indosole Blog & News

WHO (World Health Organization) initiated the very first annual celebration of World Health Day on the 7th April 1954.   Since then World Health Day centered their campaigns on drawing attention to health related issues that concern people worldwide. Therefore, this year's focus lies on the urgent demand of the immediate shift of public attention from economical interest to health related issues connected to global warming. Likewise, WHO demands us to reimagine a world that is fair, where rich countries are not gatekeeping resources essential for living, like water, food and clean air. We need to create an economy that is focused on human well-being and give control to those affected over their health, as well as this planet's health now. According to WHO‘s estimations over 13 Million people are dying each year due to environmental causes that could have been prevented.  Since Indosole is all about  repurposing already existing resources, we wanted to take the chance to raise awareness on this  topic and highlight Indosoles mission. WHO made clear that with a shocking 90% of humans worldwide every single person on earth is breathing unhealthy air, which is the result of fossil fuels being burned in factories, vehicles, etc. Each year, over 1.5 Billion tires are being burned in developing countries because they are a cheap and efficient source of energy, releasing toxins into the air that have a serious negative impact on human health and on the environment. Studies found that depending on the length and intensity of exposure, risks like irritation of the skin, eyes mucous membranes or respiratory effects can occur. These fumes might also cause damage to the central nervous system, depression and cancer. Tires that are not being burned end up in landfills, where they will not decompose for thousands of years and become breeding grounds for mosquitoes contracting threatening diseases like Malaria. WHO already realized, with earth‘s temperatures rising continuously, the growing risk of mosquitoes spreading further and faster than ever before.   We need to face the issues created by mankind on this planet now and answer with radical changes in our habits of consumption. The forced shutdown of many economical branches has proven to us that our planet is able to recover and reset with rivers running clear again in Venice, meaning that it is not too late to take action. But right now at this moment we are not allowed to go back to our old ways of ignoring the health of humans and of our earth. Recovery is desperately needed. Our planet is our health.   

Indosole is enthused to release ESSNTLS, the footwear collection that will form part of the next generation of environmental solutions. ESSNTLS represents the second stage of Indosole’s mission to become the most responsible footwear company in the world. ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATORSWe dedicated the last 10 years to being the environmental keepers of the future. We merged artisan skill with corrective impact, developing a laborious shoemaking process that transforms tires to soles by hand. Through this analog technology and circular thinking we were able to save over 80K+ tires from landfills but looking at the exponential rate of industrial world waste, we realized we had to up our game. We set out to prevent the environmental hiccup of the future. A breakthrough technology was needed that could address mass scale. Indosole aspired to double growth while significantly reducing global negative impact. INDOSOLE GETS SETT® (SOLE ENGINEERED TIRE TECHNOLOGY)We set aside a whole year for deep R&D, investigating how to best advance the circular economy through footwear. Nature is a zero-waste, non-polluting system and Indosole benchmarked the same. Mimicking nature, our lab scientists experimented with destroying the existing tire to rebuild the rubber from scratch. Through this process our lab researchers discovered our own Sole Engineered Tire Technology (SETT®) which pulverizes the tire into a fine powder and resets it with natural and recycled rubber. This malleable tire gel is set to revolutionize the footwear industry by maximizing the volume of recycled rubber that contributes to pollution elimination. THE ESSNTLS COLLECTIONAbsolute Transparency: The ESSNTLS line is based around our new SETT® production, meaning there is no waste by-product. While the artisan process is efficient, minimal tire scraps are produced when cut by hand. With SETT® manufacturing every part of the tire is condensed and remolded into a shoe sole. As landfill guardians we track each step of our production process to be the greenest and the cleanest. Mass Impact: Mass production is infamous for generating profit in lieu of concern. ESSNTLS has reworked this concept to create massive positive impact. Our Sole Engineered Tire Technology proves that volume can be part of long-term sustainability. In full-swing production Indosole can now save over 1.5K tires a day, meaning that long term relationships with distributors can make an exponential reduction to landfill waste. Our process is quantifiable, which means that we pass environmental ownership and transparency along the supply chain. The Universal Flip flop: Environmentalism isn’t for the elite. We’ve taken the universal appeal of the flip flop and made it easy on the environment, without the usual cost prohibitions. We speak to the laid-back lifestyle of the younger generation, helping them make the seamless shift towards the conscious consumption. In tandem we can shape the shopping patterns of future generations. As the world’s most ECO-nomical flip flop, ESSNTLS makes taking back the environment easy for any age or demographic. ESSNTLS MOVEMENTThe ESSNTLS brand speaks for itself, we’ve trimmed off superfluous vowels to make a minimalist statement. We want to turn this approach into a global movement, where we reframe efficiency as smart thinking that eliminates fuss and waste. Indosole launches the ESSNTLS collection as a new approach to environmental ownership, where being environmentally responsible is as chill and accessible as the way you wander in the world. Get SETT® to reimagine the future.

Being located in Indonesia and Northern California, we are fortunate enough to be surrounded by some of worlds most beautiful cultures and climates. With Indonesia’s booming influx of tourism, as well as an outdated awareness of waste reduction, the amount of litter and lack of reusable resources/recycling, the quick deterioration of its beauty is easily apparent.   In light of #WorldEnvironmentDay2017 theme: “Connecting people to nature”, we challenge you to find fun and exciting ways to experience and cherish the places you love. As the landscape and people of Bali has captivated us so much that we set out to save 1 million tires from burning by transforming discarded tires into soles.  So far succeeded in saving over fifty thousand tires from the flames, we are well on our way. To us, Bali & California are places those special places that matter. We feel a strong social responsibility towards protecting these amazing places we call home. We love hearing about your favorite places! Show us your place that matters this #WorldEnvironmentDay!    

A warm welcome goes out to the newest members of the Indosole Good Human Crew, Melati and Isabel Wijsen of Bye Bye Plastic Bags (BBPB)! The sisters (pictured at center) founded a social initiative that has been making massive strides towards a plastic bag-free Bali since its inception. It is always inspiring to see the youth care deeply about a cause, but these young ladies really take it to another level. It's non-stop for them--from organizing beach cleanups to attending conferences to giving a global TED Talk--all while being students at the Green School. They continue to blow us away with their hard work, achievements, perseverance, and leadership of their crew of volunteers. To learn more about Melati, Isabel, and the activities of BBPB, read their Good Human profile here.

If you follow us on social media, you may have already read about our contest with Free & Easy Traveler (FNEZ) that is running until March 17. Yes, a free trip to Bali & the Gili Islands plus a prize pack from Indosole in exchange for posting a selfie on Instagram is very exciting, but what's even better is the fact that the winner will travel with a company that we love, which shares our belief that we as travelers should do our best to protect and give back to the places we visit. There are a number of Global Initiatives that FNEZ travelers can get involved in, ranging from beach clean ups to minimizing plastic waste to volunteering with local communities. FNEZ as a company also supports organizations that protect children from exploitation and ensure ethical animal treatment, not to mention they are on the way to eliminating their carbon footprint completely! Read more on their website and don't forget to enter the selfie contest--there's a week left to tag @fnez and use #FindYourSelfie to see if you win the chance to visit beautiful Indonesia.