Passive House Office: Producing more energy than total consumption

Victoria shoes switched to passive house office certified facilities in the year 2019. Since then, the brand has managed to design and store its entire collection in these facilities to ensure the production of more energy than overall consumption. These practices are concentrated in Arnedo, La Rioja, which is specifically known for its traditional shoemaking endeavours. This is the same place where Victoria was born more than a century ago. The company has most of its facilities located in this region in order to make transportation easy and sustainable.

Location: Manufacturing Centre is less than 50km from Central Warehouse

Around 80% of Victoria's collection is made in the traditional shoemaking locations of Alicante and La Rioja in Spain, utilizing the expertise of a century-old business. The production process is still mostly manual, and certain aspects haven't altered in almost 60 years. The local models of the company are made in China in line with the local social and environmental standards. For over a century, the brand uses vulcanization as its primary process for production. It employs the "baking" of natural rubber onto the shoe's cut. In this way, an ultra-resistant bond is established without the need for any glue or adhesives.

Victoria was one of the first firms to use this technology in their footwear, which was created in La Rioja in the 1950s. The brand takes immense pride in being the pioneers in its field and carrying out this traditional practice for over 60 years.

Packaging: Recycled and Recyclable

The brand ensures that their pair boxes are made up of one piece of recycled cardboard. They are then self-assembled with specific water-based inks without the use of any glue, adhesives, or varnishes that may hamper the recycling process. This practice is specifically employed after the year 2019 while it is also ascertained that every article of the packaging process is recycled. It includes everything from packaging papers to storage boxes, and even labels carrying the FSC seal. Victoria claims that it has completely eliminated the use of single-use plastic and has resorted to 70% recycled and recyclable online shopping bags. These bags ensure that the shoes remain in optimal condition till they reach the end-user.

Organic Raw Materials: Cotton without GMOs or Pesticides

Victoria Shoes uses organic cotton which is grown, spun, and woven in Spain and no GMOs or pesticides are used throughout the process. The brand claims that the origin and source of cotton are of immense importance to it as it consumes about 16,ooo kgs of cotton every year. The cotton thus used, is grown under specific care in Andalusia, delicately spun in Catalonia, and curated and woven in Alicante. All of the crops are kept free from all types of transgenic seeds and are certified by external laboratories.

It is also worth mentioning that the brand specifically emphasizes the locality of raw materials and transportation to keep a check on carbon emissions. The raw materials are derived from the closest sources to the factory potentiating speedy shipments, swift production, and collection. The recycling process also plays a central role in the production of raw materials. Around 4500kg of the total 16,000 kg is recycled cotton hence giving a second life to the cotton that would have otherwise been wasted.

Recycled Cotton: Dyed Cottons are DREC recycled cottons

Victoria Shoes goes the extra mile in terms of sustainability by recycling its dyed cottons. The brand has developed specific cotton for dyeing which encompasses around 30% pre-consumer recycled material. The suppliers of the company are also on-board with this process which is commonly referred to as DREC (Dyeable Recycled Ecological Cotton). The brand claims that owing to this process, it has been able to cut down the consumption of raw material by about 4500 kg every year.

Certified Leather: Leather is certified with Silver Medal by LWG

The leather used by Victoria Shoes is certified by LWG (Independent Leather Working Group Audit). The brand has obtained a silver medal in terms of its leather manufacturing. It entails various other parameters such as chemical management, leather traceability, health and safety, and social responsibility. Moreover, it is also ensured that the leather products are rendered free of all types of toxins.

Specific Vulcanized Soles: Soles made with Rubber from Hevea Tree

The Hevea tree is also called the weeping tree or cautchouc tree by the natives of Amazon. The tree sap is traditionally used for a number of processes. Victoria vulcanizes it through the application of pressure and heat, and lastly, it is molded on the fabrics of the shoe upper. This technique allows it to withstand abrasion, bending, and wear and tear.

The brand has also used strawberry essence and old tyre rubber to cover the bad smell in the post-war raw material shortage. Although it moved back to using raw rubber when conditions became favorable yet, the strawberry smell still forms a huge part of Victoria’s history and identity.

Replacing Mineral Oils: Mineral oils replaced with Vegetable oils for Bio-degeneration

Victoria conducted an R&D project to develop a system for the replacement of mineral oils in its polymer with vegetable oil. The PVC suppliers of the company were also on-board in this process and vegetable oils from cereals and soy were used specifically for injection moulding models for quick bio-degeneration.

Soles: Soles made up of Recycled material

The brand views sustainability as a blend and balance of quality and flexibility. This includes standards of quality and resistance to wear and tear. Victoria shoes claim that the most sustainable fashion is the one that has already been produced in the market. Thus, the first step to ensure sustainability is to prolong the life of a pre-made product as much as possible.

The Thermoplastic Rubber soles of Victoria shoes incorporate around 20-30% recycled material. Additionally, the core of PVC shoes contains pre-consumer recycled polyurethane. Such steps play a significant role in reducing the overall product weight and raw material usage.