Orba Gold Award Winner - Making Shoes out of Plants
Start-up company Orba based on the Kāpiti Coast have developed a world-first: a street sneaker designed to biodegrade.
Orba received an award at the recent Wellington Gold Awards 2022, winning the Emerging Products category (10 or fewer full-time employees). The Wellington Gold Awards celebrate excellence and enterprise of businesses in the Wellington region.
Orba’s shoes are designed in New Zealand and almost every part of the shoe is made from plant-based or biodegradable ingredients, ethically sourced from around the world.
Sustainability manager Gillian Boucher said the shoes are made from non-toxic, plant-based materials, and designed to biodegrade. Orba sneakers were born out of the need to make a change for good.
“We are pleased with the recent Gold Award and it is nice to be acknowledged as we look to do things differently. Our foundation as a business has always been our commitment to the planet and its people.” says Boucher
Since launching, Orba have captured both international and national acclaim and have won a number of awards in the sustainability space. Their Ghost sneaker took out the Sustainability category at the Global Footwear Awards in 2021 and the Sustainable Product Design category at the Design Institute of NZ in the same year. These awards endorse the unique world-first approach to design and sustainability that Orba delivers.
Orba shoes are made from nature and designed to biodegrade. To find out more about the work they do visit https://orbashoes.eco/