FAQ
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Product
How long will my Orba’s last?
We’ve designed the Orba Ghost to have a lifespan equivalent to other good quality urban casual style shoes. They could mean they’ll last about three years of use, or it could be longer, or it could be a shorter time, depending on the wearer, how the shoes are used and cared for, and many other factors.
Will Orbas biodegrade during wear?
Orba shoes are designed to not begin to biodegrade until they are “aged”, that is until they have reached the end of their wearable life. After that, like anything, they will only biodegrade in a suitable micro-organism rich environment.
They will not biodegrade in normal urban wear conditions or in normal healthy storage conditions.
What is the best way to clean my Orba shoes?
We recommend dry brushing any dirt off your shoes and then spot cleaning the tough stains. If a more thorough clean is needed, remove the footbed and laces and use soapy water and a brush. The sole can be scrubbed with vigour. The fabric upper should be treated gently, with a soft brush. After soaping and rubbing, rinse them well, and then dry the shoes in direct sunlight.
For a more comprehensive cleaning guide please read our Care Guide
Do Orba shoes have good arch support?
Our shoes and sole have been carefully designed for the most “typical” foot shape, and the cork and coir insole will adapt to individual foot shapes over time. For a more custom fit, the insoles are easily removable and can be replaced with orthopedic or customised insoles.
What do they feel like when wearing them?
Your Orba shoes will feel firm, comfortable and stable. The insole is a key to comfort. The Orba insole is made in three separate layers, of different densities of material for each of the forefoot, midfoot and heel. The materials, Cork and Coconut Husk (Core Fibre) and Natural Latex, mould to foot shape over time. The outsole, the natural rubber base of the shoe, is made to flex and absorb shock when under pressure.
Will my shoes stretch?
The uppers and laces soften and relax as you wear them in, but they will not stretch. The insole will mould to the shape of your foot over time.
Do you do half sizes?
No, and at this stage we don’t think we need to because of the way the lacing system works.
If you are a half size, we recommend you size up, not down. The long laces allow the shoe to be tightened if it is a fraction large.
How do Orbas fit?
“Fit” is a personal call, because it’s about the preferences of the wearer.
For width, to us the Orba is designed to be a fraction wider across the broadest part of the foot than what seems to be our expectation of a “standard” shoe, but with a close fit around midfoot and heel.
The length of the lacing system, with six eyelets on each side, allows tightening or loosening of the fit along the length of the shoe. This accommodates a variety of foot widths.
In terms of the length of the shoe, well, that matches the “standard” fitting closely. In terms of length, we recommend you measure the length of your foot, and check that against our sizing guide.
End of life
How do I dispose of my shoes?
Your Orba shoes are made out of plant-based materials, including the sole, and have been designed to biodegrade in a microbial, fungi-rich environment. We encourage you to simply return your shoes to us at the end of their life, at our cost, and we will ensure that they are placed in the right environment for efficient biodegradation. We are taking full responsibility for the end-of-life of our product.
Email us at hello@orbashoes.eco with the subject line: “End of life return” and we will have you arrange to return the shoes by courier and we will return them to the correct environment to biodegrade.
How do you know the Orba shoes will biodegrade?
Orbas shoes, including the soles, are made from more than 93% plant-based materials which are all biodegradable, and the sole has about 4% beeswax, a natural animal product, that is also biodegradable. On that basis we are able to say that the shoe is “designed to biodegrade”.
There is a small amount, less than 5% of natural materials and compounds that are not biodegradable. This includes pine resin, the sap from pine trees, and traces of naturally occurring titanium and zinc as used in sunscreens, and a trace of sulphur. These compounds come from the earth, and are not poisonous when they return to the earth.
Returns & exchanges
Can I cancel my order?
You are unable to cancel an order once you have received our order confirmation - but you can return your items free of charge within 30 days of delivery.
What is Orba’s exchange/returns policy?
We are happy to exchange/refund your Orba shoes, as long as you return them in the same condition that you received them in, unworn and in the original packaging.
Do Orba sneakers come with a warranty?
It’s important that you’re 100% happy with your choice of Orba shoes. If you’re not happy with your purchase, head to orbashoes.eco/pages/returns and follow the no fuss returns process within the 30 day return period. Alternatively, email us at hello@orbashoes.eco or phone us 0800 ORBAEC (0800 67 22 32).
For a more comprehensive cleaning guide please read our Care Guide
How do I make a gift exchange?
If your Orba shoes are a gift and they’re not the right size, we are happy to exchange them for you. As long as you haven’t worn them, and you return them within the 30 day return period.
Shipping & tracking
Can I expedite my order?
Unfortunately orders cannot be expedited, but they should arrive within 3 to 5 working days depending on where you live in New Zealand.
How do you ship?
We use a New Zealand operated courier service to deliver our shoes nationwide.
What does Orba charge for shipping?
We don’t charge anything for shipping or returns on full-priced orders in New Zealand. Costs for international shipping and QC seconds are calculated at checkout.
Does my order come with tracking?
Yes, you will be provided with a tracking number so that you can track the delivery.
How are duties & taxes to my overseas region calculated?
Deliveries ex New Zealand to your region may be subject to local fees or taxes. These will be calculated by your local customs office, subject to the policies in your country.
The recipient is responsible for these additional charges, if there are any. Normally they are charged to the recipient through the courier service.
In most cases, payment is required before the goods are delivered. Should payment or delivery need to be refused, then storage or return shipping costs may be incurred automatically. These, if any, will be charged to the recipient.
Please get in touch with your local customs office for information that is accurate in your region.
Payments & refunds
What forms of payment does Orba accept?
We accept Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Shop Pay, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Paypal and Afterpay.
When can I expect my refund?
Refunds will be processed within 3 working days from us receiving your returned Orba shoes to our store. If your refund is taking longer than 10 working days, please reach out to us!
What is Afterpay?
Afterpay allows you to purchase from Orba and pay later in 4 easy interest-free instalments.
How does Afterpay work?
To pay with Afterpay:
- Add your items to the cart
- Select Afterpay as the payment option at the checkout
- Signup or use your existing Afterpay account
- Once approved, Orba will despatch your order
Is there any interest on the amount paid?
- No, there is no interest payable by you.
What are other terms and conditions I need to be aware of?
- Full terms & conditions are available at http://www.afterpay.com/terms
How often is repayment?
- Afterpay offers your order to be paid in 4 instalments with repayment automatically occurring every 2 weeks.
How do I sign up for Afterpay?
- Select Afterpay as a payment method (or visit the website).
- You can register as you complete your purchase.
How do returns work with Afterpay?
- Merchants will be able to initiate all eligible refunds on your behalf. Once completed, your refund will be applied to your order.
Orba
How long have you been in business?
Our company, Linax Limited, was formed on 30 March 2020, to bring the first Orba shoe to market. This was the culmination of over 4 years of work by the founders, developing the biodegradable materials and renewable raw materials sources for the shoe.
What does Orba mean?
Derived from the word “orb”, Orba reflects the values of circularity and that our product lifecycle is from the earth and designed to return to the earth. Orba conveys a vision of cyclability and sustainability.
What is your commitment to your employees?
We are currently working towards becoming B Corps Certified. This means our performance in terms of governance, our workers and communities, the environment, and our customers is assessed and eventually certified by an independent organisation.
The commitments that we make to our employees fall under the areas of: financial security; health, wellness & safety; career development; worker engagement and satisfaction.
To find out more about what being a B Corporation means, visit www.bcorporation.com.au
What makes Orba more sustainable?
Lots of things! Sustainability comes in many forms, and while we’re not perfect (maybe no one is) our goal is to cover every step and to work toward improving our performance. We look at every process, from the farms that produce our raw materials, to the factories that weave our canvases and assemble our shoes, and the logistics to get them all the way to your front door.
We take responsibility for our shoes by making sure in the design, raw materials and manufacturing phases that they are non-toxic and the materials can biodegrade, and at the end-of-life by collecting them if required and returning the to the earth properly. Find out more
What is your commitment to sustainability?
We are committed to “strong sustainability” and are working towards improving on that. One of many examples of this is our commitment to the sustainable development of our smaller more traditional suppliers, such as our weavers, who use hand looms.
Our main factory is BSCI compliant which simply means it’s a pretty great place to work.
Our smaller suppliers are eager to grow with us in a sustainable way but lack the resources to make this commitment. To help them achieve this, and ensure a sustainable and healthy supply chain, we have committed to providing finance in order to fund training programs to help them implement more sustainable practices, along a future pathway to BSCI compliance.
We go beyond business-as-usual and believe that you can be a for-profit business while having a positive impact on society and the environment. This is in line with our commitment to achieving B Corps Certification. Find out more
To find out more about BSCI, visit www.amfori.org/content/amfori-bsci
What is your commitment to your customers?
Our commitment to our customers is to supply a good product at a fair price, and to always be honest and informative, and as transparent as we can. There’s no greenwashing here. Just honest facts about our shoes and how they’re made. Achieving the highest standards of sustainability, beyond our current standard of “strong sustainability,” isn’t going to be easy, but we’re fully committed to getting there.
Does Orba measure its carbon footprint?
We're in the process of measuring our performance in terms of CO2 emissions during the making of our shoes, but also other impacts like water use and water pollution. This process is called "Life Cycle Analysis" (LCA). At this stage, we measure our performance using existing data for each main material. This enables us to assure our customers that the fabrics that make our shoe upper (flax, kenaf, ramie) are highly sustainable when it comes to not only a low carbon footprint when compared to standard shoe materials like leather, but that other other environmental impacts are reduced too, such as water use, fossil fuel use and water pollution. We're working toward building our own data and measuring exactly what occurs in our processes, but this takes time. In doing so, we anticipate being able to further improve, and we hope, encourage improvements across the industry.