More than a year after transitioning its signature sandal straps to 100 percent recycled plastic, Teva is continuing its pivot to more sustainable materials.
This Fall/Winter season, the Deckers brand is expanding its Ember franchise with an eco-friendly update—dubbed the ReEmber—that remakes the cozy slip-on shoe with 100 percent recycled ripstop in the upper and 100 percent recycled polyester in the rib knit collar and microfiber lining. The collapsible heel features 50 percent recycled polyester, the midsole 50 percent recycled EVA and the outsole 50 percent recycled rubber.
All styles are made with Teva’s Rapid Resist water-repelling technology for protection against spills and stains, “making them equally ideal for misty mornings at the campsite and cruising around town,” the brand said. The slip-ons also utilize antimicrobial technology to help battle odor.
The ReEmber line includes an all-gender collection of ReEmber slip-on shoes with collapsible heels, as well as men’s and women’s mid options. The former are priced at $75 and the latter $90.
The ReEmber launch arrives well over a year after Teva revealed it had transitioned its sandal straps to recycled plastic. When it announced the shift, it claimed the change would prevent upward of 9 million plastic bottles, equivalent to 172 tons of plastic, from ending up in landfills and oceans in 2020 alone.
This spring, it launched the TevaForever Recycling Program, through which customers can download a prepaid shipping label from Teva’s website and mail their used sandals directly to the brand’s recycling partner, TerraCycle, at no extra cost. For now, previously worn sandals will be used by manufacturers to make playgrounds, athletic fields and track ground cover, but Anders Bergstrom, vice president and general manager at Teva, said the plan is to begin testing multigenerational recycling and reuse next.
Teva, like its sister brands Hoka One One and Ugg, has flourished lately. In the quarter ended June 30, net sales jumped 65.9 percent year-over-year to $58.5 million, up from $35.2 million in 2020 and $38.3 million in 2019.