Miret is a Croatian startup whose aim is to design and manufacture compostable and recyclable sneakers using natural, renewable, and sustainably-grown materials. Winner of the Sustainable Fashion Gold award at the IDA Design Awards, the Zagreb-based company, after years of research and development, has created a technological solution for footwear made with approximately 97% natural fibres. The remaining 3% comprises synthetic thread and glue that ensure the sneakers’ durability and that Miret is trying to replace with natural materials that have the same properties.

Sustainable footwear from Croatia

Brothers Domagoj and Hrvoje Boljar, heirs to a high-end footwear manufacturing company for several famous brands, decided to innovate the family business by creating fashionable, comfortable, and durable sneakers that also have a minimal impact on the environment.
Eco-friendliness and sustainability led the Boljar brothers to select innovative and low-environmental-impact materials for Miret shoes, including hemp, cork, eucalyptus, New Zealand wool, and natural rubber latex.

Though they are still not compostable, the sneakers are designed to reduce the use of synthetic materials and toxic chemicals with the aim to offer a product that can be reintroduced to the natural cycle in complete safety.
The end-of-life restoration of the shoes into the natural cycle, according to Miret, closes the production circle, creating a sustainable system that keeps materials out of landfill and reduces the need to extract further raw materials.
Manufactured in Croatia, Miret shoes are currently the only sneakers to have received the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label for the entire product and not only for specific components.

Website:
www.miret.co

Sector:
Sustainable footwear

Pros:
Use of 97% natural fibres including wool, hemp, cork, and eucalyptus

Features:
Innovative eco-friendly footwear brand and company developing low-environmental-impact natural fibres

Image: Miret