Zingales values
We make handcrafted footwear from the finest Italian manufacturing history using only the highest quality animal cruelty free and eco-friendly materials.
Respect for human beings, as well as for animals, cannot disregard that for the environment and, for this reason, we implement a green policy, using high-performance materials with low environmental impact and long life.
Lastly, we valorise ‘past’ elements, such as the ancient construction techniques and craftsmanship of the Italian artisans that have made ‘Made in Italy’ famous throughout the world, linking them to ‘future’ elements, such as animal cruelty-free performance materials and high-tech tools for correct size guide and virtual shoe fitting.
Respect for animals
Love and respect for animals are the first (but not only) cornerstone of our ethical idealism, which we actively pursue by creating our ‘little works’ without the use of leather, hides, glues and, more generally, any products of animal origin or derivation, for both ethical and environmental reasons.
Millions of animals die every year due to the fashion industry: we consider this unacceptable and act to offer a product of excellence, ethical and respectful of the lives of all living beings.
Respect for the environment
The environmental situation is critical (climate change, desertification, pollution, serious loss of biodiversity, …) and our daily actions can make a difference.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified tanneries as one of the most polluting sectors in the ‘Superfund’ list that identifies the most critical industrial areas in need of remediation.
It was discovered that groundwater in the vicinity of tanneries in developing countries contains extremely high levels of lead, formaldehyde and even cyanide. This causes a very high incidence of cancer and other fatal diseases among the local populations.
Pollution from tanning activities results in three main categories of pollutants:
– Wastes: produced in all drum operations and in washing operations in the various
Machinery: spraying, vacuuming, winding;
– Solid waste: produced in almost all mechanical operations (such as ginning, shaving, and grinding, by way of example) and in sewage treatment (sludge);
– Emissions: produced partly in finishing operations and partly in barrel operations with development of toxic gases (hydrogen sulfide and, more limitedly, ammonia).
That is why we use only innovative animal cruelty-free materials of the highest range, such as the latest generation of certified eco-friendly microfibers with low environmental impact, soles made from more than 90 percent natural materials, and eco-friendly inner linings made from recycled polyester from plastic bottles and bio polyols obtained from no-food and GMO-free corn crops.
Finally, all our footwear is made to last in terms of both beauty, design and mechanical, constructional and technical qualities.
Zero Deforestation
Deforestation produces a long and important series of negative effects
– the loss of habitat for millions of species (70% of terrestrial species live in forests and many of them are unable to survive outside their natural environment);
– is one of the main drivers of climate change. On average, 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere each year due to deforestation.
By removing leather from our footwear, we reduce the risk of contributing to deforestation (the Brazilian Amazon’s cattle industry is the world’s leading cause of deforestation and is responsible for 14% of global deforestation each year).
Respect for the moral and economic dignity of the worker
In developing countries, the issue of working conditions is one of the most pressing and dramatic due to the lack of health and safety protection.
For example, there is insufficient protection against toxic or chemical substances with which workers come into contact, the workplace is unsafe, or the amount of work is such that it wears the worker down to the point of permanent disability.
In most developing countries, workers are below the poverty line and most of them are women, who are forced to work throughout pregnancy and immediately after childbirth, with serious repercussions for them and their children.
Finally, according to Unicef data, 150 million children work in the world and, of these, 74 million are employed in hazardous work.
We drastically fight the capitalist policy of worker exploitation, we strongly believe in made in Italy, and for that reason all our footwear is made entirely by hand in Italy by expert artisans in Italy for fair and just wages that can guarantee dignity to the worker.
Our commitment is to value each and every worker, ensuring their personal dignity and appreciating the work they do, making them proud of the work they do.
The prices of our footwear are the result of hyperlocal production, utmost craftsmanship and the use of raw materials that come from sustainable sources.