At Blackwoods, we’re committed to partnering with brands who have solid sustainability goals and practices. One such partner is Blundstone. Launched in Hobart in 1870, they’ve been supplying Australians (and now a global market) with durable, comfortable and reliable work boots for over 150 years.

But their integrity isn’t just at the core of their boots. Blundstone’s Every Step Better (ESB) program shows their ongoing commitment to their people, the planet, and their products.

“Building on our strong foundation of value chain auditing, compliance and transparency, we are now launching into the next phase of our Every Step Better strategy. The opportunity before us is to continue making our high quality, comfortable boots, but at a lower impact to the environment.” says James Burke, Group ESG Manager. “We have now established a dedicated sustainability department that is working alongside our internal technical departments and supply chain members to drive this change.”

Steps Towards Ethical Collaboration

Blundstone’s commitment to people extends across its global value chain. As a global brand, they work with suppliers in Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, India and beyond. Their Manufacturing Accreditation and Compliance team dedicates over 6,000 hours annually to monitoring and assessing labour and environmental practices within their global value chain, ensuring long-term collaborative relationships built on integrity.

Steps Towards a Better Planet

Blundstone’s team are on a mission to reduce its environmental impact while maintaining its legacy of high quality boots. As part of a recently completed Sustainability Impact Assessment, the company has measured its own greenhouse gas emissions and that of its value chain. Using this baseline data, they are now developing targets and emission reduction plans focused on footwear materials and manufacturing.

As part of a broader value chain monitoring and assessment program, they also work closely with their global supply chain to understand suppliers’ environmental practices and compliance. Packaging is another priority, with 100% recyclable shoe boxes and a shift from plastic to cardboard footbed packaging, diverting 500,000 single use plastic bags from landfills annually.

Steps Towards a Better Product

Blundstone is a leader in innovation – 95% of its leather is sourced from Leather Working Group-certified suppliers, thereby demonstrating Blundstone’s commitment to responsible leather production. For those few tanneries that are not yet Leather Working Group-certified, Blundstone commissions on-site verification audits of their social and environmental practices to ensure they meet their ethical employment standards, Code of Conduct, and compliance obligations.

Blundstone uses Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) of key styles to help identify areas for improvement. LCA results also provide them with a baseline against which to test new materials and designs and quantify improvements gained from using materials and processes that lessen overall environmental impact without compromising quality.

If you’re looking for an ethical supplier of top-of-the-range work boots that ensure each step you take is better than the last, you can’t go wrong with Blundstone.

For more information on the right footwear, contact your Blackwoods Technical Safety Specialist.

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