Sustainable business practices are becoming more important to consumers. While many shoe manufacturers are slow to catch up to this trend, EcoDragon is on the forefront of the eco-friendly shoe manufacturing crusade. The company tries to create as little environmental impact as possible by selecting environmentally friendly construction materials and techniques. If you are interested in a comfortable shoe that is kind to the environment then check out the line offered by EcoDragon.
EcoDragon Background
EcoDragon is a natural shoe company that was found in 1993 by a pair of brothers named Wes and Eric Crain. Their goal was to design a line of shoes that utilized the ultra-environmentally friend fiber called hemp. Hemp was chosen as the construction material because it is easy to grow without chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides, is one of the strongest vegetable fibers in the world and can be woven into cloth or spun into twine and rope.
In addition to using the eco-friendly hemp as the primary material for their shoe line, the Crain brothers also utilized dyes that were fiber-reactive. This means that the dye quickly absorbs into the fiber and becomes naturally affixed to the fiber molecules. This eliminates the need to use chemical dye fixatives, again lessening the impact of the shoe line's manufacturing process.
Finally, all of the shoes produced by EcoDragon are hand sewn. This means that the natural shoes are durable as well as stylish. Furthermore, since the shoes are sewn by hand, there is no need to use petroleum products, glues and toxic chemicals. These reasons are why EcoDragon shoes are comfortable to wear as well as good for the planet.
EcoDragon Shoe Line
The EcoDragon shoe line all started with the Original Hemp Sandal. This sandal remains a top seller, but it is no longer the only shoe offered by the company. Other shoes in this collection include Hemp Clogs, BackSlides, EcoStyle, EcoCross, Nature Walk, Nature Wet, Back Sling and Hempadrilles. As you can see, EcoDragon offers a variety of shoe styles from basic sandals and clogs to casual business shoes.