Okabashi Brands Inc., Buford, Ga., recently announced a series of environmental initiatives to be established at its corporate and manufacturing facility to support energy and resource conservation.

“For more than 25 years, we have been committed to keeping our manufacturing located in the United States, despite the challenges. We now want to bring that same commitment to making smart decisions and upholding the highest environmental standards when it comes to how we make and distribute our materials and shoes,” said Bahman Irvani, president and CEO.

The following measures were announced:

Recycling: Shoes can comprise up to 15 percent recycled material by regrinding proprietary material during production, which then can be put back into producing new shoes.

Vegan friendly: Company products are vegan friendly and do not contain bio-derived products.

Waste reduction: Surplus inventories are often donated to local, national and global causes including the National Odd Shoe Exchange. The company has also strived to ensure as much of its packaging material is either biodegradable or recyclable.

Employees taking action: Corporate employees have started an in-house recycling program for office paper and plastic refuse. Company employees are encouraged to participate in carpooling and telecommuting when possible.