These Sustainable Skate Shoes Are Making Waves At The Tokyo Olympics

Skateboarding made its first-ever debut in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games this summer. And Cariuma’s pro skate team, performing tricks and skills with the brand’s sustainable and ethical sneakers, has been stealing the show. 

Skateboarding made its Summer Olympics debut to much excitement. And for these top athletes, a sustainable sneaker brand is essential to winning. Cariuma made its skate debut last year, announcing its Catiba Pro model and releasing it with an all-star skate team. 

Catiba Pro

The Catiba Pro comes in 12 colours, as well as in a high-top variety. The 10-member team featured American skaters Mike Vallely, Leandre Sanders, Tyler Peterson and Marissa Martinez, as well as Gustavo Ribeiro from Portugal and Kelvin Hoefler from Brazil. 

Brazil’s Hofler and Team USA’s Jagger Eaton, wearing the Catiba Pro style, won silver and bronze medals respectively at this year’s men’s street skate games. That’s more than legacy shoes like Nike SB and Vans. Clearly, Cariuma proved that their eco-friendly take wouldn’t compromise on quality or performance for their athletes. 

Sustainably made

While long-time skate brands have made various moves towards sustainability, Cariuma only makes sustainable shoes. The three-year-old Rio-based startup is known for specialising in comfortable, stylish and good-for-the-planet sneakers, like their best-selling IBI model, which is featherweight, carbon-neutral and vegan-friendly. 

Cariuma uses materials like sustainable cork and mamona oil in its memory foam inner soles, ethically sourced natural rubber for the outsole and organic cotton canvas to make its Catiba Pro. All the materials are sourced from manufacturers that recycle 100% of the water used in the process. The whole design is created to be long-lasting, to ensure that each pair gets worn for ages before they reach end-of-life. 

Speaking to Green Queen Media last year, Cariuma co-founder and chief creative officer Fernando Porto explained that the brand isn’t just committed to sustainability, but a transparent, ethical supply chain too. 

“We put people at the centre of everything we do. It’s our belief that sustainable practices begin with sustainable respect, and work conditions for every single person who works with our brand,” he told us. “This is why we maintain ethical factories and employ a strict code of conduct in our day-to-day operations.” 

Lead image courtesy of Cariuma.