Sustainability

 

 

Sleepers – flip flops made of plants

 

Nature is raw, beautiful and vulnerable. It is also where we have the most fun. Now, we want to give back. We want to be part of the solution. We want our children to have the same opportunities to enjoy nature that we have had. 

Sleepers is our step in the right direction. 

Flip flops are usually made of synthetic rubber, a biproduct from the oil industry. Every single year 9,5 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans. Two thirds of this comes from synthetic fibers and rubber. Plastic breaks down but it never fully disappears. Today, we find large amounts of plastic floating around in the oceans and on the beaches of the world. Sleepers is our solution to provide a better alternative.

Production

Sleepers are flip flops made of natural rubber, tapped in Sri Lanka. The natural rubber is tapped under Fair Trade conditions by Fair Rubber, ensuring the working and living conditions of the primary producers of natural latex. The natural rubber is tapped in a way that ensures the natural life cycle of the trees (around 20-30 gram from each tree every day). Natural rubber breathes, is easy to clean and is incredibly comfortable to wear. The compound that Sleepers is made of also contains 10-15 % synthetic rubber. This is, to this date, the minimum requirement synthetic rubber needed in order for the flip flops to have the correct consistency and quality. This way, the flip flips do not break down too fast. We are always on the search for the most optimal solutions.

 

Sleepers are flip flops made of natural rubber tapped in Sri Lanka

  

 


 

 

Fairly Traded Rubber

The Fair Rubber Association pay regular visits to the plantations in order to ensure that the work is done within the set standards. Currently, all our rubber is sourced from Horana Plantations in Sri Lanka. In order to ensure transparency, each flip flop is marked with the plantation the rubber stems from.

Read more about the Fair Rubber Association here.

If you want to see how natural rubber is sourced, watch this video.

Plastic Free Packaging

When we designed the packaging, we were determined to avoid using single use plastic. Sleepers are packaged in recycled FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified craft paper. We use water based ink. 

Our packaging is made of recycled paper from the tea industry. Our hope is that you can reuse this bag into something you need in your home. We try to minimize the use of single use plastic in the value chain.



 

Transportation

We ship Sleepers in bulk by carbon compensated sea transport to our warehouses in Norway and the EU. Our main warehouse is entirely powered by renewable energy sources. And from here we ship by carbon neutral delivery* to your doorstep in the same plastic free recycled paper bag to avoid adding further paper waste to the loop. Please bare with us if it gets wrinkly;)



Horana Plantation Sri Lanka

Maintenance and care for your Sleepers

The shoes can be washed with mild dish soap and a dish brush. We recommend using natural soap, without strong chemicals, so as not to spoil the color of the shoes (and nature). Reach out to us if you are wondering which soaps we recommend. The shoes should also not be under strong direct sunlight for several hours.

If you have any questions for us with regards to sustainability, feel free to DM us on Instagram @shopsleepers or reach out through email: hjelp@sleepers.no.

Hug a tree with us!

 

 

 

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