On a mission to reduce landfill by at least 1 million pieces of footwear waste

De meest vrijgevige boom ter wereld

Het oogsten van kurkschors van de kurkeik, de Quercus suber, kan geen kwaad. Integendeel zelfs. Door de schors elke natuurlijke cyclus (9 jaar) te verwijderen, wordt de CO₂-opname verhoogd en wordt het regeneratieve vermogen van de boom bevorderd. Geen enkele andere boom geeft zoveel en neemt zo weinig.

Sourced from the most generous tree

The Sustainable Cycle of Cork Harvesting

Primal sources all its products from the Quercus Suber, the cork oak tree. The cork is manually harvested once every nine years from the bark of the tree without harming it. In fact, by stripping the bark, it contributes positively to both the environment and the tree's regenerative capabilities.

Endlessly recyclable

A Closed-Loop Ecosystem

With 40 million cells per cubic centimeter, cork is endlessly recyclable. Of course, there needs to be a closed-loop ecosystem in place to enable circularity. Together with its partners in Portugal, Primal allows for full circle recycling for all its cork products in accordance with the European Parliament's regulations on the Shipping of Green List Waste.

Laten we recyclen en hergebruiken

Traditioneel worden inlegzolen voor schoenen van goedkoop en synthetisch materiaal gemaakt en wordt er niet gekeken naar het uiteindelijke lot van het product.

Bij Primal Soles hebben we de eerste stap gezet om dit te veranderen. Na elk gebruik vermalen we de zolen en introduceren ze opnieuw in ons productieproces als de onderkant van elke nieuwe inlegzool.

Keer op keer.

De kurkeiken bossen

De kurkeiken bossen zijn levende ambassadeurs van duurzaamheid en een drijvende kracht achter duurzame ontwikkeling. Ze spelen een cruciale rol in het ecologische evenwicht van de wereld, in de strijd tegen klimaatverandering en woestijnvorming en voor het behoud van de biodiversiteit. Meer dan 200 diersoorten en 135 plantensoorten noemen de kurkeikenbossen hun thuis.

Ons Verhaal

Student Project Turned Real Business

What started out as just a student project focussed on finding regenerative business models suddenly turned into a real business when the project was shortlisted for a Financial Times award. It was January 2023 when David Even first set foot in Davos where he received the award for Top Student-Led Project with an impact on society and the environment.

Fast Forward to 2025

Backed by InTent for Change, I4N and Rabobank

Primal has been backed by some of the world's leading environmentalists and has developed deep partnerships along its value chain. Most notably, the partnership between Amorim Cork Solutions, Hunter Amenities and WestCord Hotels to enable the world's first closed-loop recycling system for single-use hotel slippers.

Advisory Board

Doing Business For Good

Primal has been fortunate to connect with a wide variety of experts in their respective fields. They assist us in growing our impact.

  • André Hoffmann is a Swiss philanthropist at the forefront of environmental preservation and climate change known for his roles at World Wildlife Fund, World Economic Forum, Roche and InTent for Change. He is the author of The New Nature of Business: The Path to Prosperity and Sustainability
  • Barbara Dubach is the Executive Director at Innovate 4 Nature and Founder of Engageability
  • Paul Rose is the Head of Expeditions for National Geographic's Pristine Seas and broadcaster for BBC
  • Stefano Pogutz is the MBA Director at SDA Bocconi and President of the Scientific Committee at One Ocean Foundation
  • Carmen Tal is the Co-Founder and CMO at Moroccanoil
  • Herman Mulder is the Chair of True Price, Impact Institute and SDG Netherlands