A Paris Maker of Sustainable Sneakers Was Green From the Start

Long before the term “sustainable” was a selling point for businesses, it was the driving force behind the Parisian footwear brand Veja, founded by former bankers and high school friends François-Ghislain Morillion and Sébastien Kopp in 2004.

The duo, intent on providing fair wages and a clean supply chain, have done things differently from other sneaker brands. They eschew advertising and sponsorship deals; they set up manufacturing in Brazil, using organic and regenerative cotton from Brazil and Peru and Amazonian wild rubber purchased from small cooperatives at two to five times the market price; once produced, they ship the shoes from Brazil exclusively by boat—a less carbon-intense option than by air; and they’ve entrusted their logistics to Atelier Sans Frontières, a nonprofit that employs disabled workers and people struggling with social inclusion.