# Running a US Shoemaking Business on Heritage and Sustainability with Sara Irvani, CEO of Okabashi

- Show: [Manufacturing Happy Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour)
- Published: 2023-01-24
- Length: 31m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-01-24-running-a-us-shoemaking-business-on-heritage-and-sustainability-with-sara-irvani
- Listen: http://manufacturinghappyhour.com

## Summary

Sara Irvani, CEO of Okabashi, explains how her family-owned US footwear company integrates sustainability and innovation to remain competitive in domestic manufacturing. She details their use of bio-based materials like 45% soy, closed-loop scrap recycling, and a post-consumer take-back program to avoid landfills. Irvani also discusses the strategic shift toward modular automation in packaging and the importance of a fear-free culture that empowers teams to experiment with new materials and processes.

## Chapters

- [0:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-01-24-running-a-us-shoemaking-business-on-heritage-and-sustainability-with-sara-irvani#t=47) Introduction: Sara Irvani and Okabashi's Heritage
- [2:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-01-24-running-a-us-shoemaking-business-on-heritage-and-sustainability-with-sara-irvani#t=173) Company History: From Middle East to Buford, Georgia
- [7:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-01-24-running-a-us-shoemaking-business-on-heritage-and-sustainability-with-sara-irvani#t=471) Personal Journey and Leadership at Okabashi
- [11:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-01-24-running-a-us-shoemaking-business-on-heritage-and-sustainability-with-sara-irvani#t=664) Sustainability Strategy: Soy Materials and Closed-Loop Manufacturing
- [15:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-01-24-running-a-us-shoemaking-business-on-heritage-and-sustainability-with-sara-irvani#t=911) Innovation Culture: Treating the Factory as a Laboratory
- [19:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-01-24-running-a-us-shoemaking-business-on-heritage-and-sustainability-with-sara-irvani#t=1169) Competitive US Manufacturing and Modular Automation
- [24:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-01-24-running-a-us-shoemaking-business-on-heritage-and-sustainability-with-sara-irvani#t=1443) Retail Partnerships and Empathy-Driven Business Model

## Topics

- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Okabashi (company)
- Target (company)
- J.Crew (company)
- USDA (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [How Sustainable American Manufacturing Can Flourish at Scale](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-08-how-sustainable-american-manufacturing-can-flourish-at-scale) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [103 - Sustainable Shipping Packaging with Saloni Doshi, CEO of Ecoenclose](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-02-01-103-sustainable-shipping-packaging-with-saloni-doshi-ceo-of-ecoenclose) (People of Packaging)
- [HIBT Lab! UNLESS Collective: Eric Liedtke](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-05-16-hibt-lab-unless-collective-eric-liedtke) (How I Built This)
- [299 - EarthKind is a truly sustainable company from the farm, doing no harm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-12-30-299-earthkind-is-a-truly-sustainable-company-from-the-farm-doing-no-harm) (People of Packaging)
- [088: The Importance of Sustainable Product Manufacturing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-08-11-088-the-importance-of-sustainable-product-manufacturing) (Product Startup)

## Citing this page

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