Orba shoes are designed to not begin to biodegrade until they are “aged”, that is until they have reached the end of their wearable life. After that, like anything, they will only biodegrade in a suitable micro-organism rich environment.  

They will not biodegrade in normal urban wear conditions or in normal healthy storage conditions.

Lots of things! Sustainability comes in many forms, and while we’re not perfect (maybe no one is) our goal is to cover every step and to work toward improving our performance. We look at every process, from the farms that produce our raw materials, to the factories that weave our canvases and assemble our shoes, and the logistics to get them all the way to your front door.

We take responsibility for our shoes by making sure in the design, raw materials and manufacturing phases that they are non-toxic and the materials can biodegrade, and at the end-of-life by collecting them if required and returning the to the earth properly. Find out more.

Your Orba shoes will feel firm, comfortable and stable. The insole is a key to comfort. The Orba insole is made in three separate layers, of different densities of material for each of the forefoot, midfoot and heel. The materials, Cork and Coconut Husk (Core Fibre) and Natural Latex, mould to foot shape over time. The outsole, the natural rubber base of the shoe, is made to flex and absorb shock when under pressure.

“Fit” is a personal call, because it’s about the preferences of the wearer.  

For width, to us the Orba is designed to be a fraction wider across the broadest part of the foot than what seems to be our expectation of a “standard” shoe, but with a close fit around midfoot and heel.  

The length of the lacing system, with six eyelets on each side, allows tightening or loosening of the fit along the length of the shoe. This accommodates a variety of foot widths.

In terms of the length of the shoe, well, that matches the “standard” fitting closely. In terms of length, we recommend you measure the length of your foot, and check that against our sizing guide.

We are happy to exchange/refund your Orba shoes, as long as you return them in the same condition that you received them in, unworn and in the original packaging.

Your Orba shoes are made out of plant-based materials, including the sole, and have been designed to biodegrade in a microbial, fungi-rich environment. We encourage you to simply return your shoes to us at the end of their life, at our cost, and we will ensure that they are placed in the right environment for efficient biodegradation. We are taking full responsibility for the end-of-life of our product.

Email us at hello@orbashoes.eco with the subject line: “End of life return” and we will have you arrange to return the shoes by courier and we will return them to the correct environment to biodegrade.