Materials & Certifications
At Marita Moreno, we favor the use of natural raw materials, such as cork, wood, linen, organic cotton, wool of Portuguese origin, bioleather, pinatex, malai, bananatex. We also favor handcrafted and industrial materials manufactured in Portugal, as well as encouraging the development of new experiences in traditional handcrafted textiles with new and technological threads based on cork, recycled cotton, bamboo, cupro and milk.
Whenever possible, we use recycled products – microfibres, rubbers and soles, which can then be part of the products' life cycle again.
We like to work with local, national and European suppliers that we know and guarantee the craft and industrial processes that comply with the European directives on safety at work, wages and workers' rights.
We are proud to present the materials developed by our partners in durable products with a irreverent and timeless design.
BUREL
Burel is a traditional Portuguese 100% wool cloth. We use Burel produced by a company of family origin, located in Manteigas, Serra da Estrela (Mountains of Portugal), the oldest certified Artisan Productive Unit in Portugal. Currently the third generation, since 1925, they ensure the entire wool transformation cycle, from shearing to the final product always in an ecological and sustainable way.
The Burel is made of Bordeleiras sheep wool, they are the most representative indigenous breed of Serra da Estrela, Burel is a very resistance cloth used by the shepherds to protect them from cold and rain.
BIOLEATHER
Bioleather is wet-white based leather that doesn’t have any chrome or heavy metal. This material can disappear in the nature between 2 to 3 weeks without polluting the environment. Bioleather is chemically innocuous, it is compostable and suitable to produce fertilizers.
MALAI
Malai is a newly developed bio composite material made from entirely organic and sustainable bacterial cellulose, grown on agricultural waste sourced from the coconut industry in Southern India.
Malai is a flexible and durable material with a feel comparable to leather or paper. It’s water resistant and because of it contains absolutely no artificial ‘nasties’ it will not cause any allergies, intolerances or illness and it´s a completely vegan product.
NATURAL FABRICS
The natural fabrics (cotton, linen, cork, tow, wood) that we use are made in Portugal by certified crafters and traditional factories. We use them alone or mixed to make the best traditional drawings and motives. The textile made by crafters are:
- linen and tow from Arco de Baúlhe (north of Portugal);
- repasso with wool and cotton from Terceira Island, Azores.
CORK
Cork it´s a natural material, recyclable, sustainable and vegan. This material is light, super soft, extremely flexible and easy to clean.
We use cork from a Portuguese company, which have a natural forest and plantations of Cork Oak in Alentejo (south of Portugal). All the little pieces of cork are recycled multiple times.
It’s the sustainable material used by NASA in the Space Aircrafts due to its properties.
VEGAN - MICROFIBER
Vegan material is made in Spain with an ecologic Certification. This material has ecological practices by collecting their mains of cutting and production from the brands to recycle them in new materials.
WOODS
The wooden bags are designed by us and made by a Certified UPA (Crafter Producer Unity) –a family business from Barcelos (north of Portugal) - the father still does furniture and the bags are the 2 daughter’s project.
The main material is wood composite, covered by natural wood sheet, cutting it by laser for flexibility of the wood and the interior are lined with cork.
PINATEX
Piñatex® is an innovative natural textile made from pineapple leaf fiber. The use of pineapple leaf fiber, an agricultural waste product, provides the opportunity to build a scalable commercial industry for developing farming communities, with minimal environmental impact.
Piñatex® is a natural, sustainably-sourced, cruelty free material and its journey is inspired by the principles of a Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle values.
BANANATEX
Bananatex is the world’s first durable, waterproof fabric made purely from banana tree plants. The plant requires no chemicals since it is cultivated within a natural ecosystem.
This material is soft, light, durable and strong.
PAPER
Washable paper is an innovative material very versatile with a special texture. It’s waterproof resistant and machine washable to 40°C. It can be painted, dyed and its FSC certification ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits.
DESSERTO
Within the ranch, after cutting the mature leafs, the company dry them under the sun for 3 days until achieving the humidity levels that they are looking for. So, there’s no oven or additional energy use like gas in this process. Then they process the organic raw material to make it part of them patented formula which is going to allow them to make the Cactus Vegan-Leather which is called DESSERTO.
The plantation is fully organic, there are no herbicides nor pesticides. All the remaining organic cactus material which is not used in them formula is exported and sold nationally in the food industry.
SOLES
VP SUSTAINABLE - TPR & TPU SOLES
These soles are produced with TPR and TPU recycled and can go up to 100% recycled material, while the physical and mechanical properties are still assured. The process to reuse/recycle the industrial waste are entirely mechanical (crushing, heating and extrusion), for the production of these soles, waste from injection is also reused.
During this process there is no release of pollutants, in addition the transformation of primary materials helps in the conservation of the physical and chemical properties of the final product.
EVA GREEN
The EVA material is made with reused and recycled wasted soles, this material is an innovative solution and esthetically appealing. We only use EVA Green, these soles are 70% composed by a resin produced from sugar cane, a renewable source that also contributes to reduce C02 emissions.
The EVA Green assures an exceptional performance, such as flexibility, lightness, comfort and abrasion resistance.
CREPE SOLES
Our flat shoes use crepe soles, from natural origin. This is an ecological and recyclable material, once it has excellent thermal properties it´s usually exported to countries with temperate climates.
Crepe soles are obtained through an ecological and non-polluting process, it isn’t chemically treated and maintains its natural properties. The raw rubber is obtained by solidification of the latex of the Hevea Brasiliensis tree, purchased by GEA GOMMA from plantations of South-East Asia. It can freeze or crystallize if stored at temperatures below zero degrees centigrade, becoming stiffer and lighter in color. This phenomenon is reversible by keeping the rubber at room temperatures close to 20 degrees centigrade. On the other hand, the hardening by maturation is an irreversible phenomenon which occurs after several years of storage.
This is an ecological, recyclable and waterproof material.
ECOLOGICAL RUBBER SOLE
The Ecological Rubber Soles are made in recycled rubber. These soles are free of toxic substances to man or environment. The composition of the sole may include cork, rice husk or recycled rubber. The Eco-friendly sole is made with natural products, so its degradation will not pollute the environment.
E-Rubber® and R-Skin® products are based on a patented devulcanization technology, generating at its base, a product similar to virgin rubber that is reintroduced in the manufacturing process.
The recycled sole produced by the company are made with 70% recycled rubber. It is a product of pure innovation and follows all the norms, rules and directives of the Centro Tecnológico do Calçado de Portugal.
PACKAGING & SHIPMENT
RECYCLED CARDBOARD SHOE BOX
SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING FOR SHIPPING
Our shipping packages are made 100% recycled Ocean Bound Plastic pollution. All aspects of the plastic collection process are tracked by mobile-phone-enabled, block chain technology.
World-first, award-winning packaging made from 100% Ocean Bound Plastic pollution.
BSCI CERTIFIED production facilities.