AKU Wins ISPO AWARD GOLD For its “Minima” Footwear With Low Environmental Impact

January 17, 2020

MONTEBELLUNA, ITALY (January 17, 2020) – A jury of experts from 13 nations has awarded AKU the prestigious ISPO AWARD GOLD for its new lifestyle footwear style for the AW ‘20 season, MINIMA – Designed to Reduce. This new winter model designed for leisure time and outdoor journeys was awarded for its low environmental impact design solutions, confirming AKU’s leading role on the theme of sustainability and responsible commitment.

“We have always been focused on product research and development to guarantee the market a high quality standard, with a responsible approach to the issue of environmental impact, with respect to which we claim a position as leader in the outdoor footwear industry,” states Paolo Bordin, CEO of AKU.

AKU is the first and only outdoor industry company to have calculated and certified the degree of environmental impact of a shoe according to the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) protocol, obtaining an absolute record. This project has allowed AKU to better understand how their way of producing footwear relates to the ecosystem of which we are a part, and therefore undertake further initiatives in order to truly contain the effects on the environment.

“Today, with MINIMA – Designed to Reduce, we see this commitment rewarded, thanks also to the fundamental contribution of supply chain partners such as the DANI Sustainable Leather tannery in Italy. We’ve had a strategic agreement for years in pursuit of the common goal to reduce environmental impact. But we don’t stop there. We are already working on a new project that concerns the calculation of CO2 emissions in the production of each of our models, with the aim of compensating through reforestation and environmental protection initiatives,” continued Bordin.

MINIMA – Designed to Reduce will be officially presented at the ISPO WINTER trade show in Munich, Germany from January 26 – 29, 2020 at the AKU booth – HALL A5 STAND 302.

About AKU

AKU was founded by Galliano Bordin in Italy in 1955.  Since then, the company has grown from a small workshop into a company with more than thirty years’ experience in the design and production of high-quality trekking, mountaineering and outdoor footwear.  AKU’s three production facilities are located in Montebelluna, Italy, Cluj Napoca, Romania and Belgrade, Siberia. AKU footwear is currently sold in 23 countries.  For more info, please visit:  www.akuoutdoor.com

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Media contact:
Katy Gaenicke
KGPR, Ink
k.gaenicke@comcast.net