Dr. Martens has increased its focus on sustainability with the launch of a new material made from leather offcuts called ‘Genix Nappa’.

The call for a circular economy has been growing over the past few years, and the move is the latest sign that brands have been listening to the need for more sustainable products.

Genix Nappa is formed from leather offcuts that would have otherwise gone to landfill. The brand has released three unisex classic styles of shoe, in both women’s and men’s sizes.

The move comes as part of the brand’s aims of creating long-life and low-environment-impact footwear. Agency Syn was brought in to tell the story of this new material, from intention to production, for consumers.

Through the 33-second film, audiences follow the production of the latest collection. Starting with the leather offcuts, it shows how these are processed and then re-engineered into a lightweight material, “without compromising on durability”, narrates the speaker.

To close the film, copy appears on screen and reads ‘Reclaimed leather. Remade to last’, in the classic Dr. Marten’s font and yellow. It summarises the brand’s desire to create its products responsibility, a sentiment which is essential for many brands in the wake of the climate crisis.

Portraying the production process in the factory, Syn and Dr. Martens hoped to convey a sense of transparency and authenticity for customers. Adding to authenticity, the Syn creative team ensured they fully understood the process of making Genix Nappa, before spending two days filming it in the Dr. Martens factory.

Michael Boaler, EMEA Head of Marketing and Global Media at Dr. Martens, explained: “Sustainability is a sensitive subject so we were keen to be open and transparent in the content we shared with our wearers”.

Hope Williams, Senior Account Manager at Syn, added: “Genix Nappa is a new story for Dr. Martens, so we needed to explore and pin down how to tell a sustainable material story through the Dr. Martens lens. The aim was to document the people and processes that are going into their future-facing products, so we decided to film in the factory itself so we could hero ‘the way’ and unpack ‘the why’”.

With the new material and resultant collection, Dr. Martens shows that it has an eye on the future. Framed as part of the next generation of material, Genix Nappa has been borne of a need to reduce waste and increase sustainability. The transparency of the campaign adds to a sense of authenticity for the brand, conveying the sense that it cares about both consumers and their environment.