Headquartered in Santa Maria da Feira, Kayak Storm has been producing men’s footwear for more than two decades. And throughout this time, sustainability has always been a cornerstone.
Recently, with the technical support of CTCP, the company achieved an important milestone by obtaining GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certification for some of its products. These new certified models were presented at the last edition of MICAM. "The GRS certification has brought us a series of advantages in the way the company operates. It is divided into three stages: product, environmental and social”, explains Pedro Lima.
"About a year ago, some customers mentioned that they needed us to get the GRS certification in order to continue working with us. That was our starting point. As we already had experience in manufacturing recycled footwear, and as GRS covers not only the material recycled component but also environmental and social issues, we felt it made sense to invest in this certification. It was also an opportunity to improve some internal processes that needed to be adjusted. That was our first impulse”, explains the head of the company.
The first pair of recycled shoes produced by the company is now thirteen years old. "At the time, it was an almost artisanal process because there weren’t many recycled materials available on the market. We worked closely with our suppliers to explore the possibilities. Initially, many suppliers offered minimal recycled content, claiming that consumers didn’t want the products to look recycled. However, we argued that ‘that look’ should be visible and appreciated. Over the years, mindsets have changed, and we can easily source components with high recycled content, which has made our process a lot easier. For example, our main customer now only buys recycled products. Not everything it buys is certified, but it is recycled”.
GRS-certified footwear contains at least 50% recycled content by weight. The standard also requires significant social and environmental commitments, which are now being met throughout the entire production process.
"The GRS product refers to a specific line in our portfolio, with very specific suppliers. For example, we have done a lot of work on the soles component and have been able to achieve soles with 90% recycled content. We work with Portuguese suppliers, but we also have Spanish and Italian suppliers for materials that are not yet available with GRS certification in Portugal”.
STORM is now one of the few Portuguese and European footwear companies to have this important certification.
A new barefoot model
This season, Storm is introducing its new Barefoot Boat Shoes collection, featuring soft shoes that respect the shape of the foot, allowing for total comfort and more full contact with the ground.
"We were paying attention to the barefoot phenomenon, so we looked in the components sector for a sole model that would enable us to launch our model of choice: barefoot on a boat shoe. As soon as we found it, we quickly created the first prototype, which worked in time to produce a whole collection to show at the main trade fairs”, explains Pedro Lima.
With an annual turnover of 5 million and an international presence in markets such as Europe, South Korea, Japan, South Africa and North Africa, the company has invested in the use of recycled materials over the past thirteen years, producing footwear with up to 90% in recycled content by weight.
