17 May Georgia-Based Footwear Company, Okabashi, Earns USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
The family-owned company, Okabashi, has been leading the charge in responsible, sustainable footwear for nearly 35 years. The company’s eco-conscious approach is a top priority, and now, Okabashi has earned the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified Biobased Product label.
Founded in 1984, Okabashi is a family owned and operated American-made shoe company with a focus on foot health, a better environment, and a better economy. Okabashi shoes, which are available for both men and women, are revered not only for their comfort and durability but also for their eco-conscious approach. Okabashi’s Buford, Georgia factory is a near-zero waste facility, and materials are plant-based and 100-percent recyclable. Since the company’s founding, they have sold more than 35 million pairs of shoes, and show no signs of slowing down.
Now, Okabashi’s use of a soy-based plasticizer has led the company to earn the USDA Certified Biobased Product label on a number of their styles. The USDA Biobased Product label communicates a product’s biobased content, which is the portion of a product that comes from a renewable source, such as plant, animal, marine, or forestry feedstocks. Utilizing renewable, biobased materials displaces the need for non-renewable petroleum-based chemicals. Biobased products, through petroleum displacement, have played an increasingly important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate global climate change.
Okabashi styles that have earned the Biobased Product label include, but are not limited to: the Cross Strap, the Surf, the Gardenia, the Venice, the Eurosport, the Milan, the Copenhagen, the Torino, and the Maui. Okabashi shoes can be shopped at Okabashi.com.
About Okabashi | Okabashi has been family owned and operated for more than 30 years. Since 1984, Okabashi has set themselves apart from the other major footwear manufacturers by focusing on what footwear was originally meant to be— true protection and support for your feet. Okabashi is proud to create shoes that not only support foot health and good posture, they also support a healthier planet and work economy in America. https://www.okabashi.com/.
About the USDA BioPreferred Program and Certified Biobased Product Label | The BioPreferred Program is a USDA-led initiative that assists the development and expansion of markets for biobased products. The BioPreferred Program is transforming the marketplace for biobased products through two initiatives: mandatory purchasing requirements for Federal Agencies and Federal contractors and voluntary product certification and labeling.
Biobased products span a diverse range of applications, such as lubricants, cleaning products, chemicals and bioplastics. The USDA Certified Biobased Product label communicates a product’s biobased content. Expressed as a percentage, biobased content is the ratio of non-fossil organic carbon (new organic carbon) to total organic carbon in a product. New organic carbon is derived from recently-created materials. The total organic carbon in a product consists of new organic carbon and old organic carbon that originates from fossil carbon materials, such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas. More than 3,000 products have earned the USDA Certified Biobased Product label.