Hush Puppies Australia has saved 112,500 plastic bottles from ending up in landfill, through its Good Shoe collection.
The collection, which was launched in 2020, has seen 22,500 pairs of shoes created with the recycled plastic flyknit in Australia alone.
Globally, The Good Shoe program has saved 612,500 plastic bottles from landfill.
Speaking on the collection, Hush Puppies GM Charlene Perera told Ragtrader that the brand was thrilled with the performance of recycled materials.
"We made sure that our sourcing team were very heavily involved in the process of finding ethically sourced, sustainable materials that we could also depend on to provide great quality.
"The materials were then put through performance testing via independent labs to ensure that quality and durability.
"It’s very exciting to see these new recycled or eco-friendly materials perform just as well or even better than materials we have used traditionally," she said.
However, the sustainable practices aren't only seen in the brand's Good Shoe range.
In the current spring summer 2021 collection, 29% of the range contains an eco-friendly, recycled heel grip rather than conventional synthetic material.
And by 2022, Hush Puppies aims to have at least one piece in every shoe recycled or eco-friendly.
While the deadline is looming, Perera said that the process has been a long time in the making.
"We did a lot of research on what sustainable material options were already out in the market and how they were being used in various industries.
"We also did a lot of research into the material supply chain to make sure the materials that we were selecting were being sourced ethically and are authentic.
"And once we found a material or element of a shoe that was resonating with our customers in The Good Shoe collection, we rolled it out to our entire range.
"We also spent a lot of time on the design process as we wanted the Good Shoes to be relevant but also classic pieces that won’t lose appeal.
"This isn’t about fast fashion!
"The entire process took about 12 months from research to delivery," she said.
Additionally, the business has worked to eliminate virgin plastic in all of its shoe boxes and is on track to make its online shipping satchels and supply chain 100% virgin-plastic free by 2022.
Further, approximately 50% of Hush Puppies' styles are made with Leather Working Group-certified leathers.
Hush Puppies Australia's sustainability mission is backed by its corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy which ensures that it is working as ethically and responsibly as it can.
"We have established three pillars (Worker Wellbeing, Environment Impact Management and Responsible Sourcing) that drive our strategy," Perera said.
"We are working towards better traceability, more ethical sourcing, using better materials and being the employer of choice from our employees through to our factories.
"We want to ensure that we are being completely transparent across our entire business. And transparency also means honesty.
"We have been completely honest with ourselves, the process and in our strategy.
"We know we aren’t perfect, but we are determined in our pursuit to better ourselves with time and persistence.
"Our strategy is a journey, and we want to ensure that our consumers are on this journey with us," she said.