When I wear shoes, they need to be comfortable first and look good as well. I never thought much beyond that. We live today, however, in a world where real concerns about our planet, environment, the air we breathe, water we drink, sustainability, etc. are at the forefront of what we should be paying attention to. As it should be because although our world does, in most cases, take care of itself...we need to help in those efforts whenever and however we can. So I never used to think about how my shoes were made...but now I do. For each pair of Cariuma shoes sold, a pair of trees are planted in the rainforests of Brazil...and that makes me feel a little better about the future.