Okabashi

Packaging

Okabashi provides very little public information about its packaging. There is no clear evidence that the brand uses environmentally friendly packaging materials or practices.

Material Sustainability

Nearly all of Okabashi’s footwear is made from synthetic plastic, primarily a PVC-based blend (indicated by recycling code #3) softened with soy oil. PVC is generally viewed as a high-impact material (derived from petroleum and salt, and associated with pollution in manufacture/disposal), and it would ordinarily fall into the lowest sustainability tier for materials. However, Okabashi mitigates this by replacing toxic plasticizers with a biobased alternative (soybean oil) and by incorporating significant recycled content. The soy component (45%) is a renewable agricultural resource, considerably reducing reliance on new fossil plastic. Still, growing soy has environmental impacts (land use, farming inputs), so it’s not entirely impact-free; no information is given on whether the soy is organic or grown with sustainable farming practices.

Because the shoes are not made of natural fibers or biodegradable materials, end-of-life remains a concern if they aren’t recycled. The proprietary material is not biodegradable, meaning that if a pair ends up in a landfill, it could persist for centuries. Okabashi’s circular program is crucial in addressing this. By actively reclaiming and reusing old shoes, the brand keeps the plastic in use and out of waste streams.

Okabashi’s material choice is a double-edged sword: environmentally superior to typical fully synthetic shoes (due to recycled and biobased content) but still not as low-impact as truly natural or compostable materials.

Energy Use and Footprint

All products are made in one factory in Buford, Georgia, which means the supply chain is relatively short and transportation emissions are minimized. The company points out that by not manufacturing overseas, it avoids the massive fuel consumption required to ship shoes across oceans. However, beyond the location-based benefits, Okabashi discloses little data on its energy usage or emissions. The brand does not publish information about the energy sources powering its factory (e.g. whether they use any renewable energy on-site or purchase green electricity). Likewise, there are no public reports of the company’s annual greenhouse gas emissions or any specific reduction targets. There is also no mention of carbon offset initiatives or efficiency upgrades (such as energy-efficient machinery or lighting) in their operations.

Waste Management

Waste reduction and circularity are clear strong points for Okabashi. From day one, the company has operated with a “zero-waste” mindset in manufacturing: all PVC scrap and off-cuts from the injection molding process are collected and reused rather than discarded. Excess material trimmed from one shoe is ground up (“regrind”) and melted into the next batch of products, creating a closed-loop within the factory. This practice reportedly saves nearly 100 tons of material from landfills each year by continually reusing factory scraps. Such internal recycling greatly improves manufacturing efficiency and means virtually no raw plastic goes to waste during production.

Beyond the factory, Okabashi extends waste mitigation to the consumer end through its take-back recycling program. Customers are invited to send their worn-out Okabashi shoes back to the factory, where those old shoes are cleaned, ground up, and incorporated into new products. As an incentive, the brand offers a discount on a new purchase (15% off for adults, 20% off for kids’ boots) when shoes are returned for recycling.

Importantly, the material itself being 100% recyclable (albeit in a specialized facility) means that at end-of-life there is a viable path other than the trash bin. Few footwear companies achieve this level of circularity. One limitation, however, is that Okabashi’s recycling program currently relies on customers mailing shoes back at their own cost, which could limit participation. The brand does not report what percentage of sold shoes actually get returned for recycling, so there’s no data on how effective the take-back is in practice.

Business Model

Okabashi’s business model is oriented towards slow fashion and long-term sustainability rather than fast-paced turnover. The company has been making a relatively small range of core styles for decades, indicating that it avoids constantly chasing trends or releasing new collections every few weeks. Many of the designs (flip-flops, slides, clogs) are classic, timeless styles that don’t go out of fashion seasonally, which reduces the pressure on customers to replace shoes frequently. In practice, Okabashi does introduce new colors or slight style updates occasionally, but these are infrequent and the product lineup remains largely evergreen.

Each pair comes with a two-year quality guarantee against defects – a remarkable policy in the flip-flop and sandal category, where most cheap sandals break quickly. This warranty signals confidence in product longevity and encourages customers to hold onto their shoes rather than treating them as throwaways.

Okabashi’s footwear materials are notably non-toxic and safe for consumer use. The proprietary plastic formulation avoids many chemicals of concern commonly found in other shoes. According to the brand, the material contains no BPA, no phthalates, no latex, and no rubber allergens. This is significant because PVC-based plastics often rely on phthalate plasticizers (which are hormone-disrupting chemicals) but Okabashi’s use of a soy-based plasticizer eliminates that risk. The absence of latex and rubber means the shoes are generally safe for people with latex allergies or sensitivities.

Additionally, the company states it does not use formaldehyde in production, and it avoids heavy metals (sometimes used in pigments or as PVC stabilizers). An independent Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the Okabashi material confirms that any potentially hazardous components are “bound within the polymer matrix”, meaning they are not readily released or bioavailable to cause harm. In practical terms, this indicates that wearing the shoes or having skin contact with them should not expose the user to toxic substances.

Fair Labor

Okabashi’s labor practices are bolstered by the fact that 100% of its footwear is made in the United States at the company’s own factory. This domestic production means that all workers involved in assembling the shoes operate under U.S. labor laws, which mandate standards for wages, working hours, overtime, and workplace safety. In terms of supply chain transparency, Okabashi’s materials (like soy oil and plastics) are largely sourced within the USA as well. The brand claims to source U.S.-grown soy for the bio-content, which likely means the agricultural supply chain is domestic. However, details about labor at the raw material suppliers (soy farms or chemical plants producing the PVC) are not publicly provided.

Animal Welfare

Okabashi is a 100% vegan footwear brand, which means it uses no animal-derived materials in any of its products. This commitment significantly reduces its impact on animals. Traditional shoes often use leather, suede, wool, or glues made from animal byproducts; Okabashi avoids all of these. The primary material is a synthetic/plant blend, and even things like the dyes, glues, or finishes contain no animal ingredients (the shoes are largely one-piece molded, so no animal-based glues are needed at all).

Community Engagement

Okabashi demonstrates a meaningful level of community and social engagement, particularly through charitable partnerships. The standout initiative is the brand’s long-term partnership with Soles4Souls, a non-profit organization. For over ten years, Okabashi has worked with Soles4Souls to donate footwear to people in need around the world. By 2016, the company had donated over 8,000 pairs through this partnership, and that number has likely grown since. These donated shoes go to survivors of natural disasters, individuals experiencing homelessness, and micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries (who can sell donated shoes as a means of livelihood).