When I visited Aku’s Montebelluna HQ in the plains to the south of the Dolomites, one of the presentations we were given detailed the ways the Italian footwear brand was striving to be more sustainable. This is a brand that makes high-quality outdoor footwear, often at a premium price. It’s also a brand that’s well aware that the continued use of virgin materials and animal products is not the future. From the design of the shoe to the distance components have to travel in the supply chain, Aku was in the process of putting every step of its operations under the microscope to pave the way for a more environmentally friendly future.
As part of the trip, we ventured into the Dolomites to test the Aku Slope V-light GTX, a more sustainable reimagining of one of the brand’s classic hiking boots. The V in the name stands for vegan, referring to the use of recycled synthetics over leather in the construction of the upper. This particular boot contained varying levels of recycled materials throughout.
