Love the planet you walk on.
This is the motto that the company Ponto Footwear has adopted and used to backup their planet centered mission. They believe that taking small steps in the right direction to helping the planet, adds up to making a big difference, and are dedicated to contributing to that core belief. To back up that motto, their values are clearly outlined on their website as conscious consumerism and circular economy / circular production.
When it comes to conscious consumerism, Ponto Footwear believes that our connection with the things we own is important, and therefore they ask the hard questions. Questions like: Where did they come from? Who made them? How were they produced? And at what cost? They aim to not only be as responsible and sustainable as possible with their manufacturing processes and the materials that go into creating their shoes, but also as transparent as possible with their customers.
I love seeing companies like Ponto Footwear come forward and base their business models on helping the planet.
We’re seeing a lot of companies having to rethink the way they do business and how it affects the planet, and when a company like this bases their entire mission on that, it sets a really good example and shows other companies in the industry what is possible.
While the term ‘conscious consumerism’ is being spread around a lot more these days, the terms circular economy and/or circular production might be new to you. Circular Production is a term that refers to the waste a business produces and how manufacturers handle that waste to create a circular economy that doesn’t feed the crisis facing our planet and oceans. Circular production is what allows the possibility for a circular economy, which is a systemic approach to economic development designed to benefit businesses, society, and the environment.
What stands out the most to me about Ponto Footwear is that they take this into account in a very direct way by partnering with Soles4Souls, the largest shoe and apparel non-profit in the US that helps uplift people while keeping unsellable inventory out of landfills. They invite their customers to take part in their buyback program to help them get closer to activating a more circular economy by giving you a credit toward your next pair of Pontos, when you appropriately recycle your first pair. For every pair of Pontos that you send to a regional Soles4Souls distribution center, they’ll give you a $25 credit to be applied to your next pair of Pontos shoes. Those shoes will then empower an aspiring entrepreneur in a developing nation to re-purpose the shoes, be resold and kickstart someone’s entrepreneurial micro-enterprise.
Beyond their amazing business model, Ponto Footwear creates shoes with a great design that is both fashionable and multi-functional!
And if you don’t know how I feel about that by now, let me just say— I’m a HUGE fan! Form and function that is elegant with an edge is my sweet spot, and Ponto Footwear has accomplished just that. They have options for both men and women and have embraced the idea of ‘less is more’ by designing a shoe that is a hybrid product for life on the go. Their main style, ‘the pacific’ can be worn to work, the bar, a wedding, and pretty much anywhere. It’s a minimalist design and it definitely embraces the quality over quantity factor.
Furthermore, their website is sleek, minimalistic, and has an earthy feel, to go with their core values of not taking up too much space and also representing how much they care about the planet.
Their loading icon is brilliant. Their videos are also sparse in a fabulous way, with earthy solid tones to not be overbearing. The name of their company comes from their childhood beach, Ponto Beach, and their logo is unique, intriguing and again, as sleek as their product. Thought-out branding and strong values that have a deeper meaning and a bigger drive, is something I’m all for! The big stuff is in the small details.
I hope hearing about Ponto Footwear inspires you and gives you some ideas for how you can make a greater impact with your own business, and the best part is, now you can head over to Ponto’s site and get some well-sourced shoes to make your own business moves in style, and w/ greater impact too.
I hope this monthly business highlight inspires you to make meaningful moves and use your business to give back and make a greater impact.
