Edward Temperley, Co-Founder of WAES Footwear / Sustainable Shoes

WAES Footwear are the world's only plastic-free shoe company. A collaboration of shoe designers, ocean advocates, surfers, scientists, and manufacturers committed to producing beautiful stylish footwear which leaves no trace. The WAES logo is derived from the alchemy symbol for earth and the name itself is an acronym of the classical elements of Water, Air, Earth and Sun which defines their manufacturing philosophy of combining science and natural materials. There are more than 24 billion pairs of shoes made each year from plastic compounds which go straight to landfill. This brand has a passion for the natural world and want to stop fuelling a system stuck on full-throttle and seemingly intent on burying us all under a mountain of plastic. Their vision is for a world of zero-waste shoes, one which promotes tree planting and works in partnership with the natural carbon cycle. Their ambition is to change the way shoes are manufactured and to prove it is economically viable to produce beautiful, durable, and ultimately biodegradable footwear.
In this episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast we interview Edward Temperley, Co-Founder of WAES Footwear, and talk about his love for surfing and what first inspired him to start a 100% biodegradable natural shoe brand in 2019. It was seeing the ocean plastic problem first-hand which motivated him to investigate making plastic-free footwear. Our host Peter Brooker and Edward also chat about launching on Kickstarter, industry greenwashing, the problem with microplastics, new sneaker designs in the process, and the best materials to use for manufacturing sustainable and vegan trainers.
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