At Temper & Stone, sustainability isn't a marketing layer. It's a set of decisions about what we use, what we refuse, and how long our boots are built to last.
CITES — and why we go further
Temper & Stone fully complies with CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — the international agreement governing trade in protected species and the materials derived from them.
Many bootmakers work with so-called "Appendix III" species: commercially farmed exotics that are technically permitted under CITES with the right paperwork. We've made a different choice. We don't use exotic skins of any kind — no crocodile, no alligator, no python, no lizard, no ostrich, no stingray. Not because we can't get the permits, but because we don't want the trade. More information about CITES and how it applies to your country can be found here: cites.org.
Embossed leather, not exotic skin
Where a boot calls for the texture of crocodile, lizard, or ostrich, we use embossed leather instead. Skilled embossing on responsibly sourced cow, calf, goat, sheep, or buffalo hide recreates the visual character and tactile interest of exotic skins — without the ethical and environmental cost of the exotic animal trade. The result is beauty, character, and conscience in every pair.
Materials
Our boots are made from cow, calf, lamb, goat, sheep, and buffalo leathers — all sourced as by-products of the meat industry, meaning no animal is raised solely for its hide.
Each leather is chosen for what it does best: cow and buffalo for structure and durability, calf for refinement, lamb and sheep and goat for softness against the foot. We work with suppliers we trust and we keep our materials list small enough to know it well.
Built to last, made in small batches
Every Temper & Stone boot is Goodyear welt constructed — a technique that allows the sole to be removed and replaced multiple times over the life of the boot, without compromising the rest. Soles wear out. Good uppers don't.
We design for longevity through durability, repairability, and timeless style — and we choose small-batch production over mass manufacturing. The everyday version of sustainability is buying less. A boot that lasts twenty years and gets resoled along the way uses a fraction of the resources of cheaper boots replaced every few seasons.
Longevity is the most honest form of sustainability we know.
