Koolaburra

Mar 13, 2023

Koolaburra is an American shoe retailer founded in 1991 in California, United States. The multinational clothing-retail company creates footwear for men, women, and children.

Koolaburra makes sandals, sneakers, boots, slippers, and more. Deckers Outdoor Corporation owns Koolaburra and other brands like UGG, Hoka, Teva, Sanuk, and more.

Deckers operates select department and specialty stores across more than 50 countries where it does business. It has over 3,000 employees globally.

Koolaburra aims to deliver quality products to its consumers while minimizing the environmental impact of its business footprint. It strives to support local communities and maintain an ethical supply chain.

Koolaburra has a responsibility to employ socially conscious operations and sustainable business practices. It has committed to an inclusive and equitable work experience and supporting the environment.

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Sustainability Rating: 4/10

Rating FAQ

Category: Shoes

For: Women, men, children

Type: Boots, sandals, flats, sneakers

Style: Casual

Quality: Medium

Prices: $$

Sizes: 5-14 (US), 3-12 (UK), 36-45 (EU), 3-12 (AU)

Fabrics: Cotton, lyocell, polyester, nylon, polyurethane, rubber, leather, wool

100% Organic: No

100% Vegan: No

Ethical & Fair: No

Recycling: Yes

Producing countries: Cambodia, China, Philippines, Dominican Republic, Vietnam

Certifications: GRS, RCS, FSC, LWG, RWS

Sustainability Practices

Koolaburra takes wide-ranging measures to protect biodiversity, reduce its consumption of water, energy, and other resources, avoid waste, and combat climate change.

It wants to be better and more efficient by looking at every aspect of its value chain to ensure the healthy functioning of our planet. However, the majority of its business remains detrimental to the environment.

Koolaburra doesn't use any organic materials such as organic cotton. But it uses recycled materials such as recycled polyester.

Most of the fabrics it uses are either natural without relevant certifications, such as regular cotton, or synthetic petroleum-based fibers such as polyester and nylon.

Koolaburra also uses a small proportion of semi-synthetic fibers or regenerated cellulosic fabrics such as plant-based lyocell.

Koolaburra publishes a list of all its manufacturers but not its processing facilities on its corporate website. It wants to ensure that its ethical supply chain program is best in class.

The 2022 Fashion Transparency Index gave Koolaburra a score of 56% based on how much the group discloses about its social and environmental policies, practices, and impacts.

Koolaburra manufactures its clothes in many East Asian countries, where human rights and labor law violations happen every day.

The American shoe retailer doesn't show any labor certification standard that would ensure good working conditions, decent living wages, health, safety, and other crucial rights for workers in its supply chain.

Koolaburra has a code of conduct that applies to all its suppliers and subcontractors based on the regulations set by the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Koolaburra assesses compliance with its Code of Conduct by informal visits or third-party audits with or without notice. It employs an internal audit team and accredited third-party auditors to regularly assess its factories' compliance with its fair labor standards.

Koolaburra doesn't use exotic animal skin, hair, fur, or angora. But it uses leather and wool to manufacture many of its products.

These animal-derived materials are cruel and unethical. They also harm the environment by producing greenhouse gases and waste. More sustainable alternatives exist.

Sustainability Goals

Koolaburra has committed to reducing its environmental impact across the entire supply chain. It aims to significantly reduce its overall environmental footprint and give back to causes focusing on people and our planet.

Koolaburra plans to reduce its GHG emissions by 46% in Scope 1 and 2 and 58% in scope 3 (in the Purchased Goods category), by 2030 compared to 2019.

Koolaburra has also committed to restoring 1,000,000 acres of land by 2025 through its support of a grant for regenerative farming practices.

Koolaburra plans to have 55% of all materials used in its footwear made from preferred materials by 2027.

Koolaburra aims for 100% of the cotton fiber used in its footwear made from recycled cotton fibers or sourced from farms that utilize sustainable crop growing practices by 2025.

Koolaburra will source 65% of all co-polyester fibers and films in its footwear from post-consumer, post-industrial, or renewable resources by 2030.

Reviews And Experiences With Koolaburra

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What We're Up Against

Multinational corporations overproducing cheap products in the poorest countries.
Huge factories with sweatshop-like conditions underpaying workers.
Media conglomerates promoting unethical, unsustainable products.
Bad actors encouraging overconsumption through oblivious behavior.
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