Lemon Jelly – sustainable, vegan shoes made in Portugal (recommendation)
Anyone who has been following me and my blog for a while knows that I hardly ever put brands and products into the camera. At no time do I want anyone to get the idea that I write certain things just because I’m paid to. I wouldn’t be able to reconcile that with my conscience anyway. And besides, my blog is not designed to earn money. So I only recommend things that I stand behind for 99.9%. Products that I have tested myself and that I just want to write about.
In my world, you can simply recommend things if you think they are great. Just like I make restaurant recommendations when someone asks me for them. Without the addition of “advertising”, which is actually a “recommendation”. No more, no less – this is also the case with Lemon Jelly. A Portuguese company that I would like to present to you today.
Sustainable and vegan shoes made in Europe
I’ve been looking for shoes that are stylish even in rainy weather for a long time. And they should not only look good but also leave the rainy weather outside. I’ve never been a fan of wet feet. 🙂 And quite honestly: Shoes can still be truly sustainable, but if they look just awful, I don’t put them on either. It would be more sustainable not to buy them at all. Since my shoes have to be fine on the outside, but on the inside as well, they have to pass some filters. They have to be fairly produced, vegan, and sustainable. Plus, it is not so easy to find something that is affordable, too!
Fortunately, I stumbled upon shoes from Lemon Jelly, which by now accompany me through every season and are an indispensable part of my life. Maybe you already noticed it on Instagram, I just wear them up and down. No matter if I’m at a festival (back then…), on the beach, or outside in the rain. And in fact, I have never been asked about my shoes as often as I was asked about my Lemon Jellys! They are not only vegan and sustainable but also look super stylish! But now more about the inner values of Lemon Jelly as a company!
Lemons are vegan
Lemon Jelly exists as a company in Portugal since 2013 and belongs to one of the biggest European shoe manufacturers (Procalçado) with more than 45 years of experience in the shoe craft (founded in 1973). The complete design, development, and production deliberately take place in Portugal. On the one hand, this allows Lemon Jelly to guarantee the highest possible quality, but also to ensure compliance with safety, work, and environmental regulations.
Rubber boots that do not stink and have the scent of lemons
Actually, I wouldn’t have thought it possible myself, but even dancing on festivals for days I’ve survived in my boots without big stinky feet! And everybody who goes to festivals knows what that means! Besides, I don’t wear my boots only in rainy weather, but as soon as it gets a bit cooler. Lemon Jelly has a specially developed insole that dries quickly, is temperature stable, antibacterial, and controls both moisture and odor.
The name does not come from anything! Because the sole, as well as the shoes, have a light, very pleasant lemon scent. Goodbye to plastic fumes! In addition, all Lemon Jellys are completely vegan. From the glue, the packaging, labels, POS materials to all supplier materials they are guaranteed “PETA approved vegan”. Plus, they all Lemons have the REACH– and CADS-seal and are free of phthalates (plasticizer).
Reusable plastic is not as harmful as disposable plastic
I don’t know how many times I have picked up garbage. Whether in the forest while hiking, by the sea participating in an ocean-cleanup, or while trash-walking in the English Garden with THINK INC. and North Sails. There is garbage everywhere. No matter if it is at a beautiful view, at a lonely beach, or in the middle of the city next to 10 garbage cans. You always find it. Even if it is only one cigarette butt that just doesn’t belong there. People go out into nature, enjoy it to the fullest, but don’t take their garbage back with them. I will never understand this.
The main problem with plastic is that it is often not reused and therefore has a low recycling rate. Hence the name “disposable plastic”: It is only used once. That is why disposable plastic bottles, plastic straws, cups, plates, packaging, etc. are harmful. They are produced with the use of fossil resources (e.g. petroleum) and energy but have a very short life, which is disproportionate to the production effort. I have already told you more about the effects of (micro)plastic on our bodies.
Waste is created when recycling fails
If plastic is not recycled properly, it often ends up in the ecosystem and thus exactly where it does not belong: in nature. At the same time, correctly produced, high-quality plastic has a long life span and theoretically a much lower CO2-impact than other materials. I can actually prove this with my Lemon Jelly Boots. I have been using them intensively for several years now and they have hardly any wear and tear. Although, they have been through quite a lot with me. Countless kilometers and puddles of water they have walked with me and they are still as faithful companions as on the first day!
You are sustainable above all when you can really use things for years. Not only because they are of high quality, regionally and sustainably produced, but also because they have a timeless design and can be combined in many ways.
Rosa Lazić
One-way plastic is the problem: garbage that is not reused. Waste that is not returned to the cycle and slowly decomposes into microplastics. This is exactly where Lemon Jelly came in and designed a collection completely out of his own production waste to avoid the waste that has to be fished out of the oceans. Zero waste is thus completely reinterpreted in the collections “Wasteless Act” and “Under Construction”.
Wasteless Act – a 100 % recycled plastic collection
The Wasteless Act collection consists of 100 % internal production waste. Thus, it allows the creating of new Lemons generating 90 % less CO2 emissions. 100 % recycled plastic with 90 % less CO2 emissions and therefore 0 % waste – sounds good, doesn’t it? In general, shoes with minimal defects are donated by Lemon Jelly. If shoes have more serious defects, they are usually shredded in other companies and sold cheaply to third countries for other processing or they are simply burned. Especially when such materials are burned, highly toxic (greenhouse) gases are emitted into the atmosphere.
This is where Lemon Jelly comes in and has developed its own highly complex recycling system and its own material composition to turn unusable lemons into new ones. Its innovative grinding technology thus makes it possible that the material can be 100 % reused. Since the current fall/winter collection 2020/2021 Lemon Jelly even takes back your old lemons and makes new ones out of them! Plus, you get a 10 % voucher for new ones.
Lemon Jelly not only distances itself from “disposable” plastic but also runs the “extra mile” and turns “reusable” plastic into a material that can be reused “infinitely”. Thus, the Lemons are not only recycled but also recyclable. Reason enough to be awarded as the winner in the category “Best Carbon Footprint Initiative” at the Drapers Sustainable Fashion Award 2020! They have closed the loop:
Destroy nothing.
Lemon Jelly
Transform everything.
Sustainability in all areas
But sustainability is not only characterized by production far away from low-wage countries on the other side of the world but has many facets. For example, the entire energy supply is covered by renewable resources – in 2017, 900 solar cells were screwed onto the company’s own roofs. All other energy supply is provided by green electricity providers. The ecological footprint is also reduced by not using materials of animal origin. All shoes are free of fur, feathers, silk, and wool – the meat industry and all related industries are responsible for a large part of the greenhouse gas emissions. Lemon Jelly wants nothing to do with this either.
In order to receive the certification “PETA approved vegan”, all suppliers had to guarantee vegan products and auxiliary materials. Due to the good cooperation with the local companies, Lemon Jelly is able to ensure the traceability of the products. Not only for this, Lemon Jelly received the “Energy Efficiency Award” in the category “Efficient Company” in 2011. They also developed a cleaning process in 2014 that saves 60% of water consumption.
Lemon Jellys cause 6-10 times less greenhouse gas emissions in production than comparable shoes made of leather! At the same time, they are sustainable, vegan, and recyclable!
Sustainability not as a marketing gag but as a true core value
This is indeed the aspect that is probably the most important to me. Anyone who has been my reader for a long time knows that I have a phobia against greenwashing. That’s why I take a particularly close look here when I deal with a company and its products. But greenwashing has no place at Lemon Jelly. Ever since the Procalçado Group was founded in 1973, sustainability has been a matter close to their hearts. The production of fashion items, in particular, takes place primarily in Asia, but they have deliberately decided against it.
As a result, all manufacturing is done in Portugal, near Porto, even though they have accepted a reduction in revenue since production in Europe is much more expensive than in low-wage countries. But sustainability means also that you don’t have to ship all materials back and forth across the globe. The company has deliberately opted for local production in Portugal, which also secures regional jobs in the long term. By consciously choosing local suppliers, the ecological footprint is also reduced here through reduced transport distances.
The company’s philosophy also reflects the respectful treatment of not only nature but also people. For example, the Porto Pony Club, which was founded specifically for this purpose, is a social organization designed to give people regardless of social or economic boundaries access to sports and therapies. It’s just like a holistic thing – creating an ethical, sustainable product using renewable energies while treating others socially sustainable.
A company with its heart in the right place
The working atmosphere is also a matter of the heart at Lemon Jelly. After all, it is not just about producing a shoe that is as sustainable as possible and that is manufactured in the best possible way in harmony with nature. It is also about ensuring that the people who make this shoe and work in the background are not exploited. And of course, this is also reflected in the working atmosphere and the way we people treat each other, which I can only confirm myself.
When I was in Porto a few weeks ago, I contacted Lemon Jelly’s marketing manager, Nina, and was treated as warmly as rarely before. I was not just an “influencer” or “blogger” or whatever. I immediately felt like a family member, and two minutes later I was holding two pairs of Lemons and a handwritten card in my hand. At the same time, I was infinitely proud to be able to fight with such people and companies for a little more consciousness and sustainability.
Therefore, I am very happy that for one month (until 11/10/2010) with the code “LJ10ROSALAZIC” you will receive a 10% discount on the complete collection in the online store of Lemon Jelly (I don’t have any of that!)! I am sure you will love them as much as I do! Just now, when the cold season is coming, you will like rainy days more than you used to – I promise! 😉
#rosaapproved
SO, HOW CAN YOU LOOK WONDERFUL,
Lemon Jelly
KNOWING IN YOUR HEART THAT YOU HAVE MADE A RESPONSIBLE,
ECO-FRIENDLY FASHION CHOICE, WITH A POSITIVE IMPACT INTO THE FUTURE?
EASIER THAN MAKING LEMONADE
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