Fair Play
Behind every pair is a person. We think you should know who they are, what we require of the people we work with, and what happens to the shoe when you are done with it.
Three things we don't negotiate on
We have not shipped yet, so we will not hand you numbers we cannot stand behind. What follows is what we are building in from the start and the standard we hold ourselves and our suppliers to.
People
Every person who makes a Boldstance shoe should earn enough to live on, not just survive. That is the standard we require of every supplier, including overtime, benefits, and the right to say no. We state it as a requirement, and we will report honestly on how we verify it as we grow.
Planet
We are designing for lower impact from the start. Recycled materials where they perform, packaging we are working to get plastic out of, and a take back programme planned for launch so a worn pair does not end up in landfill. We will publish real numbers once we have measured them, not before.
Product
Doing things right does not mean doing them slowly. The Zitanos 2.0 weighs 218g with a 6mm drop. Ethics and performance are not a trade off, and this shoe is how we intend to prove it.
"Some kids get given a path. Others have to build one in imperfect conditions. You need the will to move anyway."
That is the spirit behind everything we do. We started Boldstance because we were tired of being told that performance and ethics were a trade off. They are not. The way we are building the Zitanos 2.0 is the proof, and this page is where we show our work, including the parts we have not finished.
Ethical Trading Policy
Nothing redacted. Nothing softened. These are the standards we require every supplier to meet before we place an order. We are a new company and our verification process is being built as we grow. We will report honestly on it rather than claim a level of auditing we have not yet reached.
01Freedom of Employment
Nobody works for us under duress. Forced labour, bonded labour, prison labour. None of it. Full stop.
- Workers can leave after giving reasonable notice. No locks on the door.
- No supplier can hold a worker's ID, passport, or personal documents.
- Workers never pay to get a job. Recruitment fees are on the employer, not the worker.
02Collective Bargaining & Freedom of Association
Workers have the right to organise. We do not just tolerate that. We expect our suppliers to support it.
- Every worker can join or form a trade union. No exceptions, no workarounds.
- Union members are treated the same as everyone else. Full stop.
- Suppliers must engage openly with union activity. Not around it.
- Where local law blocks these rights, suppliers must find alternative ways to protect them.
03Safe & Hygienic Working Conditions
Every factory that makes a Boldstance product has to be somewhere a person can work safely. That is not a high bar. It is the minimum.
- Industry specific hazards must be identified and properly controlled.
- Suppliers take active steps to prevent accidents. Not just respond to them.
- Safety training is mandatory, recorded, and repeated. Not a one off induction.
- Clean toilets and drinking water. Always.
- Where housing is provided, it has to be genuinely liveable. Not just legal.
- A named senior person is responsible for health and safety at every site.
04Child Labour Is Not Acceptable
No child works in our supply chain. This is the one policy with no nuance attached to it.
- Minimum age is 15, or the age of completing compulsory schooling, whichever is higher.
- Young workers aged 15 to 18 do not work nights or in hazardous roles.
- Young workers have guaranteed access to education alongside any employment.
05Living Wage for All Workers
A living wage is not the legal minimum. It is enough to actually live on. Cover the basics, save a little, and not be one bad week away from crisis.
- Pay meets or exceeds the national legal standard or industry benchmark, whichever is higher.
- Workers get written pay terms before they start. In a language they understand.
- Every payslip is itemised. Workers always know what they are being paid and why.
- Docking pay as punishment is not permitted. Ever.
- Any wage deductions outside of law require the worker's written consent.
- Every disciplinary action is documented.
06Working Hours Are Not Excessive
Long hours do not mean better work. They mean tired people making mistakes. We want neither.
- Regular hours do not exceed 48 per week.
- Every worker gets at least one full day off every seven days.
- Overtime is voluntary. Nobody is pressured or penalised for refusing it.
- Overtime is capped at 12 hours per week and cannot become the norm.
07No Discrimination
Hiring, pay, training, promotion. Every decision is based on what someone can do, not who they are.
- Protected characteristics: race, caste, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, union membership, political affiliation.
- Decisions are made on merit. That is it.
- Harassment of any kind is grounds for termination of the supplier relationship if needed.
08Regular Employment Is Provided
We do not want a supply chain built on gig workers and short term contracts. Stability makes better products.
- Suppliers cannot use sub contracting or home working arrangements to avoid giving workers proper employment status.
- Apprenticeships are for learning. Not cheap labour.
- Fixed term contracts are the exception, not the model.
09No Harsh or Inhumane Treatment
No physical punishment. No threats. No intimidation. No shouting. Workers are treated like adults who matter.
- Every worker is treated with basic dignity. That is not optional.
- Grievance processes are accessible, confidential, and free from any threat of retaliation.
- Complaints are investigated properly. By someone who is not the problem.
10Environmental Considerations
We are not going to claim we have solved this. But we are making decisions at every stage with the environment in the room.
- Supply chain environmental impact is assessed before orders are placed. Not after.
- End of life is considered at the product design stage, not just at the recycling bin.
- Packaging impact in manufacturing, storage, and shipping is factored into every spec.
- Damaged, returned, and sample stock is disposed of responsibly. No landfill shortcuts.
- Chemical or hazardous waste gets specialist handling. Always.
- Energy efficiency is a requirement, not a preference.
Standards and Certifications
We are not going to show you badges we have not earned.
We hold no third party certifications today. Standards like SA8000, ISO 14001 and OEKO-TEX, and accreditations like B Corp, are ones we are working toward, not ones we currently hold. When we earn any of them, the certificate and the date it was issued will appear on this page. Until then, we claim none of them. We would rather tell you what we have not done than dress up what we have.
Where We Stand Before We Sell a Single Pair
We have not shipped yet. But we think it matters what you commit to before the money is on the table. Everything below is built in, not bolted on, and we have left in the parts we have not finished.
Who Makes Our Shoes
No shell companies. No hidden factories. Every facility that touches a Boldstance shoe is named below. From the first sketch to the finished pair.
| Stage | Location | What Happens Here | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design | Staffordshire, United Kingdom | Every shoe starts here. Concept, construction, and final sign off. | In-house |
| R&D | Staffordshire, United Kingdom | Testing, performance development, and materials research. | In-house |
| Materials | São Paulo, Brazil | Rubber compounds sourced from our materials partner. | Named partner |
| Assembly | Dongguan, China | Final shoe construction at our assembly partner. | Named partner |
Independent factory auditing is something we are building as we grow. We will report on it honestly here rather than claim it before it is in place.
Carbon Footprint: In Progress
We are commissioning a full lifecycle assessment using GHG Protocol Scope 1 to 3 methodology ahead of our first production run. The results will be published here in full before the first pairs ship. No cherry picking, no rounding up.
We are looking at carbon offsetting for shipping and will name any partners publicly once agreements are signed. We will not claim carbon neutrality until we can prove it.
Specific figures without independent verification are not transparency. They are marketing. We would rather publish nothing now and real numbers later than put out projections we cannot stand behind.
The assessment results will be published before the Zitanos 2.0 ships to its first customers in January 2027.
Boldstance Renew: End of Life, From Day One
Every pair will come with a return option built in. Send back any worn Boldstance shoe and get £20 credit. We disassemble, sort, and recycle or compost every component. No landfill. This launches alongside the Zitanos 2.0, not as an afterthought.
What We Haven't Solved Yet
We would rather tell you now than explain it later.
We know our assembly and materials partners. We do not yet have full visibility into every raw material supplier behind them. We are working on it, and we will not pretend the picture is complete.
Some early samples and components have moved by air. We are building sea freight lead times into production from the start so we can keep air freight to a minimum, and we will report what we actually use.
We are working to get plastic out of what we ship. We are testing alternatives and will not roll one out until it actually protects the product.
What We're Working Toward
These are goals, not guarantees. We will not put a date on anything we cannot promise to deliver. When something here becomes real, we will say so on this page, with proof.
We are working toward recycled and bio based uppers. We are not there yet, and we will not pretend we are.
We want to meet recognised social and environmental standards on their terms. If and when we do, the certificate goes on this page. Not before.
Got a Problem With Any of This? Good.
We read every email. No PR filter. No holding response. If something here does not add up, tell us.
Boldstance® Ltd. Registered in England and Wales, No. 14859766.
Back the shoe. Hold us to this.
Everything on this page is what we are committing to before we have taken a penny. Pre-order the Zitanos 2.0 on Kickstarter and we will deliver on every word. If we fall short, you will be the first to know.
Limited to 300 pairs · Ships January 2027 · £40 off retail