Ethical Brand: Olli Earth's Favorite Flip Flop

I just wanted to share these - mainly because I wear flip flops all the time as a Californian but also because it's a perfect example of the types of things I want in my closet.

I'm all about the STORY behind the product - here's theirs:

"Natural rubber just doesn’t grow everywhere. We had to go to great lengths to obtain it. Actually, we even went one step further than most that use rubber - we only use fair trade natural rubber. It took over 2 years even to just get all the suppliers in place but because of all this hard work up front we are confident that this is THE best material to create flip-flops....

But we didn't stop there.

This story doesn’t end with the highest quality materials in any flip-flop... ever!

Because, as I set out to find natural rubber to add to the perfect flip-flop I found myself in the countryside of India and the backwoods of Sri Lanka at rubber plantations. It was deep in these plantations the exploitative nature of the rubber industry became very clear.

You wouldn’t believe the despair just to get a bucket of raw rubber.

Workers living in the most despicable conditions, getting paid outrageously meager wages, and treated like the lowest of low.

This reality is far worse than the harshness of bad chemicals or uncomfortable overpriced flip-flops.
I wanted no part in this.

So I set out to find rubber harvested on fair terms, rubber that cared for it’s people at every step of the process.

That’s when the full idea for the perfect flip-flop was born.
That's when Olli was born.

Thus began my journey to find natural FAIR TRADE rubber.
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Olli flip-flops would not only be better for the environment, but better for those involved in production.
I joined the Fair Rubber Association, which means Olli only purchases rubber from audited plantations that maintain Fair Trade standards that include safe working conditions, medical care, and a fair wage. We pay a premium for our rubber which goes directly to the rubber tappers."

Click on the photo below to be taken to their Indigogo Campaign. 

THIS BRAND IS...

• EcoFriendly Production
• Biodegradable
• Renewable and Sustainable Materials
• Small Batch
• Fair Trade - Fair Wage
• Good Working Conditions