Vibram

Production Locations

• Italy (Albizzate, headquarters and main plant)
• United States (North Brookfield)
• China (Guangzhou, Vibram Technological Center)
• Brazil (Franca City, run by a licensee)

Vibram states it has four production facilities across Italy, the US and China, with the Brazilian site operated under licence.

Working Conditions & Living Wages

Vibram reports 797 employees and says it provided 10,643 hours of training in 2024, a 24% rise on the previous year. The brand claims its Albizzate site holds ISO 45001 certification for workplace health and safety, and that it applies a Diversity & Inclusion policy with a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination. It reports that 37% of its workforce are women and 13% are under 30. 
A whistleblowing mechanism and an Anticorruption Code are said to be in place across the group.

For its supply chain, Vibram states in its 2024 Sustainability Report that it requires suppliers to uphold workers’ human rights and explicitly bans forced, bonded, involuntary and child labour. It says 84% of suppliers and 97% of subcontractors have signed its Code of Ethics, and that Asian suppliers undergo CSR audits via QCIMA.

Materials

Vibram states its soles are made mainly from:

• Natural rubber (about 61% of materials used)
• Polymers (about 37%), including synthetic rubber and EVA

• Other raw materials (about 2%), including silica

• ECOSTEP, contains up to 30% recycled Vibram rubber, first created in 1994
• ECOSTEP NATURAL, the brand claims over 90% organic components not derived from oil, with colours from 100% plant-based pigments, its biobased content and potential biodegradability are said to be verified by third parties (Intertek)
• MORFLEX NATURAL, up to 50% bio-based content from agri-food and plastic waste
• VI-LITE RECYCLE, up to 25% recycled Vibram Vi-Lite
• XS TREK AO, over 30% circular raw materials from rice husk
• NATURAL EVA, over 80% bio-based, described as DIN certified

Packaging

• Vibram says it aims to avoid single-use packaging, prioritise recyclable, reusable or potentially compostable solutions, and use cardboard, paper tape and paper labels for EU E‑commerce, eliminating plastic. 
• It also describes a partnership with Movopack for reusable packaging on resoled footwear. 
• Packaging within the supply chain is unclear. 

Water Usage & Chemicals

The brand claims it has converted cooling circuits into semi-closed systems to cut water use, recycles cooling water, and runs a chemical water-treatment station that it monitors before discharge. On chemicals, Vibram states it tests all products, packaging and materials yearly against a Restricted Substances List (RSL), confirms EU REACH compliance, and is a bluesign® system partner. These measures are reported by the brand. The RSL and bluesign® links are third-party frameworks.

Circular Product Design

Vibram’s core product, the rubber sole, is a mono-material component, which in principle is easier to recycle than mixed materials. The brand highlights two designs built for circularity:

• Vibram Lock System: soles assembled by hand without glue, which the brand says can be disassembled so each material can be recycled or reused
• Vibram Sole Factor: lets customers choose and replace soles to change a shoe’s performance

The brand states its main design goals are durability and recyclable/​recycled content. 

Circular Business Models

Vibram runs the ​“Repair if you care” programme, encouraging costumers to resole rather than replace their shoes through a certified cobbler network. It reports 767 cobblers in its network and 216 certified Diamond/​Premium cobblers. It has also set up resoling partnerships with brands including NNormal, Dolomite and Tecnica, training cobblers to repair those shoes.

Distance & Complexity of the Supply Chain

• Production: Italy, United States, China (own facilities) and Brazil (licensee)
• HQ: Albizzate (Varese), Italy

Vibram reports that 77% of suppliers operate in the same countries as its own production facilities and that 35% of purchases were local in 2024. It says 11 subcontractors represent 93% of externally produced soles, and that it audits them against the Higg Index and its own ESG checks.

Transportation

Vibram states that distribution is mostly handled by third parties. It says that since 2019 partners can ship outsourced parts directly to clients, avoiding transit through the Albizzate warehouse, which it claims saves time, cost and emissions.

The brand does not disclose the transport modes used or provide E‑commerce shipping emissions. 

Based on the materials Vibram lists, it is likely that no animal-derived materials are used.

Product Design

Vibram develops around 300 sole models a year. 
Its small own-brand range includes the FiveFingers toe shoes and Furoshiki wrap shoes, offered in men’s and women’s styles. 

Slow Fashion Processes

Vibram claims it designs soles for durability and is developing an objective method to measure sole lifespan with partners, though it says this is still evolving and not yet finalised.

Transparency on Product

Customers get a clear picture of what a shoe does and how it is built. Each page describes the product’s intended use, its key features and technologies, the outsole compound used, the weight, and care instructions. 

There is no production country or place of origin listed. This means customers cannot see where their specific pair was made or trace it back through the supply chain.

Transparency on Processes

Vibram publishes annual Sustainability Reports (2021 to 2024) under its ​“The Sustainable Way” strategy. It states that its 2024 report received limited assurance from KPMG, which adds a layer of external checking. The reports share governance, energy, waste and supply-chain data.