Press Release

AERA Launches Luxury Line of Vegan Footwear that Delivers on Promise of Sustainable Fashion

Shoes for Men and Women Offset Carbon and Water Footprints by 110%

AERA

Today, AERA announces its inaugural collection of luxury shoes for both men and women that offsets both its carbon footprint and water footprint by 110%. Produced in partnership with two multigenerational family-owned factories in the Veneto region of Italy, the company marries artisanal shoemaking with its commitment to social responsibility and environmental stewardship.

AERA was founded by entrepreneur Alvertos Revach, fashion executive Tina Bhojwani, and footwear designer Jean-Michel Cazabat with a joint vision to show customers that style, design, and quality can be achieved sustainably. To establish its environmental performance and validate environmental claims, AERA engaged SCS Global Services (SCS) to perform a life-cycle assessment for the full line of shoes, calculating the environmental impacts associated with the materials, manufacturing, distribution, use and ultimate end-of-life for all models.

“We are working to set a new normal, one in which style, design, and quality are analogous with sustainability,” said Tina Bhojwani, Co-Founder and CEO of AERA. “I’m thrilled to announce that we have reached our number one objective – to become carbon negative.” The company has successfully offset its carbon footprint by 110% through strategic investments in a recognized carbon offset reforestation project in southeastern United States.

“We are pleased to be able to support AERA’s bold commitment to environmental transparency and responsibility by conducting an independent life-cycle assessment,” said Keith Killpack, Technical Director for SCS. “Achieving a 110% carbon offset claim is no easy feat, and sets an important precedent for this industry given our current global climate challenge.”

Equally important, AERA has also invested in water restoration certificates through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to mitigate its water consumption by 110%. “And we’re not stopping there,” added Mrs. Bhojwani. “Our next objective is to find ways to offset other key impacts.”

Social responsibility is also a key tenant of the brand. By working with factories and suppliers in Italy, AERA is helping preserve the artisanal process of luxury shoemaking, the main industry in Veneto. AERA is also committed to living wages, not only for its employees, but also for the employees of its suppliers, and is sourcing 95% of its materials and the full manufacturing of its shoes from Italy. Shoes are sold direct to consumer and the savings are passed on.

AERA shoes are available on www.aeranewyork.com. The collection includes timeless, seasonless designs. There are ten women’s and five men’s styles with a selection of gender fluid boots and loafers. Prices range from $245-$445.

About AERA

AERA is eco-friendly fashion, reimagined. The brand is committed to championing the movement in business that values people and planet investments as inherent in achieving profitability. With timeless designs that are ethically crafted from responsibly sourced vegan materials, the brand strives to make sustainability the new normal. Not only are they neutralizing their environmental impact, we are also going one step further by offsetting it by 110%. Ultimately, we created AERA because we believe doing good is as important as looking good. https://aeranewyork.com/

About SCS Global Services

SCS Global Services has been a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability certification, auditing, testing and standards development for 35 years. SCS programs span a wide cross-section of industry sectors, recognizing exemplary performance in natural resource management, green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, retailing and more. SCS is a California Benefit Corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practice. www.scsglobalservices.com