OUR RESPONSIBILITY

Shoes with a story

The name WODEN stands for Works of Denmark. We are proud of our Scandinavian origins and sustainable approach. That's why we create durable, quality shoes. We do this by focusing on craftsmanship, functionality and the perfect fit. WODEN is designed for women, men and children on the go who want comfort day after day.

“Ever since WODEN was just a simple idea and a few rough sketches made by hand, I knew that the brand should be driven by values. With the utmost respect for the environment, we work with the sustainable keywords: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. This is the essence of WODEN.”

Founder & CEO
Carsten Holm

RECYCLED RUBBER

WODEN’s soles are made of 65% natural rubber, 10% recycled rubber and 25% conventionally produced rubber. The composition ensures elasticity and durability without compromising on support. We work continuously to increase the proportion of recycled rubber even more, but it must never compromise the quality of our sneakers.

CARBON-NEUTRAL FISH LEATHER

The fish leather that we use in all WODEN sneakers is a waste product from the Icelandic fishing and food industry. An industry in which only 1% of the skin is actually used, and the rest is destroyed. The fish leather, which comes primarily from salmon skins, is both hard-wearing and sustainable. This is due to the unique cross-fibre structure of the fish leather which makes it up to 9 times stronger than calf leather. The fish leather is treated and tanned in Iceland using gentle and eco-friendly methods aided by Iceland’s natural hot springs.This tanning process produces 0% carbon emissions.

RECYCLED POLYESTER

WODEN sneakers’ backing consists of 50% recycled polyester from PET bottles. By using everyday waste to create new textiles for our sneakers, we minimize the use of crude oil in the production of new fibres. It also means that our textile production is less energy-consuming.

KORK

All our insoles are covered with the characteristic WODEN cork. The cork that we use is harvested in Argentina and Portugal. The bark of a cork tree can be harvested gently every ten years. Since the cork trees are not felled, the bark can be harvested over several hundred years. When the cork trees begin to form new bark, they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. This contributes to a positive reduction in the planet’s CO2 levels.