Indosole Blog & News

Happy Fathers Day to all the amazing father figures out there! Indosole's mission is to inspire people to live a more fulfilled and conscious life with every step, and there is no one more inspiring than a father. Fathers, like mothers, are pillars in the development of a child's emotional well-being. Children look to their fathers to lay down the rules and enforce them. They also look to their fathers to provide a feeling of security, both physical and emotional. For this exact reason parents are the most important people in our society as they shape our future through their children. Every change starts with education and knowledge and passing that information down to the next generation to raise and create change makers of the future.    To all fathers (and mothers) who are raising their kids to be cautious of our environment and teaching them how to make a lasting positive change, we thank you for being the pillars of our future!   Check out last year's blog to hear what all the Indosole fathers have to say! Click here for the link What is a fathers day without some good dad jokes? What kind of sandals do frogs wear? Open toad. Why can't milk wear sandals? Because they lactose! What do you call sandals with no traction? Slip Flops Winners always wear sandals After all, you shoes, you lose       Hoping all the Fathers out there have a wonderful fathers day. You deserve it! With love,  Indosole

June is a month of loving boldly. It is a time to celebrate who you are and who you love despite of gender, identity or sexual orientation. Indosole stands proudly as an ally to the LGBTQIA+ movement and celebrates Pride Month in this respect. We believe that love knows no boundaries or limitations. Loving each other openly, without judgment is something Indosole believes in wholeheartedly. Even though spreading the word of love and acceptance is a full time commitment the entire year around, we still wanted to take part in the worldwide celebration of queerness and highlight individual uniqueness during this special month. Pride month originally originated in celebration of gay people. As time progressed and more queer people felt empowered to come out, the movement became more and more diverse. What started as a holiday lasting only one day was soon extended to a whole month of worldwide celebrations including pride parades, parties, workshops, concerts and memorials for victims of hate crimes or HIV/AIDS with millions of participants. Pride month, as a celebration of love and acceptance, welcomes everyone willing to support the community. Whether you are cisgender and straight or the queerest color of the rainbow, everybody is appreciated. Besides embracing uniqueness and love with no boundaries Pride Month also aims to shine light on LGBTQIA+ issues like gay marriage, same sex adoption and gender rights. This year for pride month Indosole has something special to share... Show your support and let your colors shine with our limited edition pride slides!  These were inspired by all the strong and proud members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We want our Indosole community to show our support and wear our colors proud and loud.  Check out our slides here!   We hope everyone takes this month to express their love and show their support to the LGBTQIA+ community. Don't forget to show your colors off this month!   With love,  Indosole

World Ocean Day!    In celebration of our oceans we thought we would start off this blog with some awareness and facts about them so we can properly appreciate all that they do for us.  Around 70% of our planet's surface is covered by enormous bodies of water. With the deepest part of it being 11,034 meters (36,201 feet) below the water's surface. According to National Geographic, if Mount Everest was placed there, the tip of the mountain would still be at least 2,133 meters (7,000 feet) below sea level. The oceans offer habitats for millions of species with only a minor amount being known to mankind. To this day it is estimated that we only discovered 5% of the oceans worldwide. The biodiversity still unidentified might be up to millions. Considering the incredible importance of healthy oceans to every living organism on earth, World Oceans Day aims to protect at least 30% of our oceans, lands and waters by the year of 2030 (“30x30”). World Oceans Day specifically demands 30x30 because of recent studies suggesting that we will need to protect at least this amount of our planet, to secure earth‘s life supporting systems and to obtain biodiversity. Currently less than 17% of land and less than 8% of oceans is legally protected from destruction through exploitation or pollution. Oceans connect all living things, provide livelihoods for millions and are vital for life on earth. They produce at least 50% of the oxygen we are breathing and are able to store 50 times more carbon dioxide than the surrounding atmosphere. Additionally, the oceans are essential for climate regulation because they transport heat from the equator to the north and South Pole creating viable weather conditions. The world's oceans also supply humans with food, medicine, as well as jobs for more than 40 million people. Especially people from developing countries rely on the sea for their livelihoods. World Oceans Day therefore strives to keep the global movement growing to apply more pressure on the world's governments and economy to do their part in 30x30 and take it seriously. Already over 41.000 individuals and 1.100 organizations from 84 countries are committed to protect 30% of the plant.  With a seemingly never ending list of points that prove the great importance of oceans to life on earth, Indosole wants to stress the need of taking immediate actions now. Raising awareness for this topic is only one of many actions that can be taken. Participating in online events, signing petitions, educating yourself or people close to you, creating or consuming art meant to highlight the struggles we are facing can be likewise as impactful. As a certified B-Corp Indosole is committed to do our best to impact earth's sensitive balance between humans and nature positively, hence the celebration of World Oceans Day! Let's all take a minute today to truly appreciate all that our oceans do for us.   With love,  Your Indosole Team <3

Giving a fresh start to the "Lost Soles" of the sneaker industry of Indonesia.  Since 2009, Indosole has prevented 150k+ waste tires from going to the landfill and given them new life as soles for our footwear. We strive to not only be pioneers of recycling in the footwear sector but also reduce and repurpose landfill waste on a global scale. With transparency in our manufacturing process as a core driver, Indosole is continuously reworking its production process and concept to become the greenest and cleanest in the game. As a certified B Corp we are committed to the standards set forth in order to create a more ethical and open business environment.  As environmental keepers of the future and simply a dedicated team of motivated and young people, we decided it was time to evolve one step further. We are proud to introduce our newest technology "The Lost Sole Collection."  As an international hub for sneaker manufacturing, millions of pairs of shoes are being produced monthly in Indonesia. With this rapid growth, there are 100's of thousands of defects which are being thrown away.  Similar to tires, sneaker soles are made from strong and durable materials that are made so well that they will take a long time to break down. Material of this strength can take over 1,000 years to decompose!  In following our signature process of turning waste tires to footwear soles, we have developed our "Recycled Sneaker Technology." Each defective sneaker sole is pulverized into a powder and then reshaped and molded into a 60% recycled sole. The new advantage as we see it, is using more waste which otherwise sits in a landfill while also giving our footwear soles more life and COLOR.  We now offer 3 colors in Flip Flops, Slides, and Platforms which are extra comfortable and ready for any adventure that comes their way.  We are always looking to make our products better and this season we have. With the same quality, durability and attention to detail; the new and improved slides are more comfortable like never before featuring Dream Cloud Comfort. Indosole aims to make a shift from evergreen talks into a more refreshing product. Indosole believes that with a fun approach the company is able to contribute to shaping the consumer patterns of future generations.  We hope you enjoy our latest creation and try a pair for yourself.  The Indosole Team 

Happy Mothers Day! This year in celebration of mothers day Indosole would like to take a mom-ent to honor motherhood that is observed in different forms throughout the world. None of us would be where we are today without our moms. In an hour of today we decided to do some research on how this holiday came to be and the history behind it. Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.” Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s. Fun fact: Did you know? More phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year. These holiday chats with Mom often cause phone traffic to spike by as much as 37 percent. The official American Mother’s Day holiday arose in the 1900s as a result of the efforts of Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis. Following her mother’s 1905 death, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children. By 1912 many states, towns and churches had adopted Mother’s Day as an annual holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day International Association to help promote her cause. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. Indosole wants to send out big love to all the mothers in the world! The contribution mothers bring to the world does not go unnoticed and we thank you for always raising change makers. Check out our last year's blog post to get to know the mothers at indosole!

It’s time for collective action NOW!    Today, Friday the 22nd of April 2022, is a special day for everyone fighting the climate crisis and a call to individuals, the economy and politicians worldwide to start making meaningful change. This year’s Earth Day is being held under the theme of "Invest in our planet“ and is centered all around standing together as a society to break down barriers created by the fuel industry and to strive for a new era, in which humans allow earth to heal from the inflicted damage of the past. Nature's recovery and preservation to allow for a prosperous future for humans and animals to thrive likewise is central.  Founded in 1970, Earth day is advocating for more consumer awareness and how the habits of consumption are harmful to the environment. Earth Day has managed to mobilize millions of people worldwide to participate in eco-friendly actions, like major beach cleanups. The high relevance of the global campaign is pushed even further by the participation of influential public personas, such as actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio, who is showing his support publicly, pushing politicians to take immediate action. "We need to act (boldly), innovate (broadly) and implement (equitably)". (EARTHDAY.ORG, https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2022/) Because Earth Day is about taking collective action now, we want to propose a question to you: What is your contribution going to be? Even if every individual only makes a seemingly minor contribution, little things will add up and turn small actions into something that’s impactful on a big scale.  Here is a list of ten activities to participate in: Join a local cleanup event! No cleanup event nearby? No worries, just invite some friends and start your own private cleanup at a local beach, forest or even in a downtown public park! Plant a tree! Sign EARTHDAY.ORG‘'s petition to hold the fast fashion industry accountable, here: https://action.earthday.org/the-fashion-industry-must-change Educate a friend or family member! Sit down and take time to analyze your consumption habits. Ask yourself, how can I change my habits to make a positive impact on this planet? Ban at least one single-use item from your household. Plant bee-friendly flowers in your garden or balcony. Let your money do the talking: Support businesses who are demanding a sustainable approach to production. Be an online advocate and lead by example. Post about earth day and encourage others. As a certified B-Corp Indosole also feels committed to increase our positive environmental impact and continues to fight for climate justice!

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.   

Sungai Watch x Indosole Ocean health has been a major topic in the conservation discussion and international spotlight for the last 20 years, and we are thankful for this attention to the ocean we love so much. Less attention has been attributed to the health of rivers and the waterways that connect the land to the ocean. Sungai Watch has been spearheading this movement since the start of the pandemic in Bali, and we couldn’t be more proud of our friends and excited about what they are doing. We said - “we are here to help”! Fun Fact; Make A Change World was started in 2009 - the same year as Indosole.  Sungai Watch was started by the three siblings behind Make A Change World - Kelly, Gary, and Sam Bencheghib - a dynamic trio of change makers both individually and collectively.  So how does Sungai Watch work and what do they do?  The simple answer is hours and hours of hard work whether it be cleanups or installing their now signature “Trash Barriers” in over 100 rivers and waterways in Bali. In Sungai Watch’s own words: “​​Sungai Watch is a community river cleanup organization that has the mission to protect our waterways, starting in Indonesia. At Sungai Watch we believe that simple Trash Barriers can serve as a way to stop the leakage of plastic pollution into our ocean. Rivers are the perfect connection point between life on land and the ocean.” “Jaga Sungai Kita!” (Take Care of Our Rivers) Over 300,000 kg of trash collected to date Sungai Watch recovers 1000 kg (1 ton) of trash everyday from waterways in Bali that otherwise would reach and leak into the ocean. Installed Trash Barriers in over 100 rivers and waterways in Bali Next goal is to move into Java with the goal of 1000 trash Barriers installed So what happens to the waste that is collected? This is where it gets really interesting. Sungai Watch has a sorting center where all waste collected gets separated into organic and non-organic. The organic waste gets processed into compost, charcoal chips, and mulch. The non-organic waste gets separated into glass, metal, plastics, foams and...wait for it...flip flops! Yes Flip Flops comprise 5-8% of the waste Sungai Watch collects. The team has invested into cleaning and grinding machines which can process and break down this non-organic waste into secondary resources that can then be made into new products.  You can learn more about the waste management at Sungai Watch and download the “The River Plastic Report 001”  PRESS HERE You may ask - what happens to the waste flip flops that get processed at Sungai Watch? We may just have something up our sleeve, stay tuned for more info. Additionally if you are in Indonesia and have any old flip flops of any brand feel free to drop them off or send them to us at our store location in Canggu, Bali, where we collect them to be processed at Sungai Watch. For the next week 10% of any purchase at Indosole.com goes to help Sungai Watch in their massive cleanup effort at the Bali Mangroves and on the 100 plus rivers and waterways that are surging with trash during this strong rainy season in Bali. Follow our journeys...  @sungaiwatch @indosole

Indosole x Industry of All Nations "We strive to represent the future of our planet as well as we can - and if beings from other worlds were to come and visit, they would look forward to taking back IOAN products as gifts from planet Earth." Industry of All Nations is a brand that is committed to a responsible process and high quality products that are properly made by real people. They source where things are made, they help the local economy, they limit transportation to only end products that are transported, they find what specific countries and communities do well naturally, and they invest to keep responsible and fair manufacturing alive.  We are super proud and happy to announce that we are producing our second collection with IOAN featuring our signature recycled tire soles, recycled eva and natural rubber footbeds, with organic cotton canvas straps in 2 variations - Raw, and Natural Indigo. Made proudly in Indonesia.  IOAN works with a lot of different nations worldwide, they have an established network of artisans that span from South and Central America to Europe and downward to Africa. Each piece represents a specific moment in time, places, feelings, and people. We are humbled to include Indonesia as one of the many nations in which IOAN has chosen to partner with. We are proud to introduce...THE IOAN x INDOSOLE SANDALS featuring: -Natural Rubber / Recycled EVA mixed upper footbeds-Organic Canvas straps that have been naturally dyed in Bali-100% upcycled tire soles -Packaged with 100% recycled cardboard tags