Preferred materials: better choices, to go further

At Salomon, innovation doesn't stop at product performance. It also guides every material we choose, and how we source it.

Through our Preferred Materials roadmap, we're increasing, season after season, the share of recycled, renewable, and independently certified materials in our products.

A material is never just a matter of composition. It's also a story: where it comes from, how it's produced, and by whom. These choices weigh on our footprint just as much as the material itself. That's why our roadmap focuses on three things: better sourcing practices, stronger traceability, and the use of certified materials wherever possible.

The same material can have very different impacts depending on its origin and how it's processed. By integrating preferred materials from the design stage onward, we reduce our dependence on conventional raw materials, in favor of supply chains aligned with our commitments.

We work hand in hand with our suppliers and industrial partners to improve traceability, expand the use of independently third-party-certified materials, and increase transparency throughout our supply chain. The perfect material doesn't exist: our approach is one of continuous progress, balancing performance, durability, availability, and responsible sourcing.

Our commitment to more responsible natural rubber

Found in some Salomon outsoles, natural rubber gives our shoes the grip and durability that outdoor use demands.

Unlike synthetic rubber, it comes from latex harvested from rubber trees, making it one of the few materials in our products that comes directly from a forest.

Natural rubber represents only a limited share of the materials we use, but how it's grown matters just as much. Encouraging responsible forestry practices is a core part of our Preferred Materials roadmap: a concrete lever to strengthen traceability and more responsible sourcing practices.

Since the Fall/Winter 2026 season, we have prioritized the use of FSC™ certified natural rubber in the outsoles of our footwear.

This transition won't significantly change the overall environmental footprint of our products, but it marks an important step toward more responsible sourcing practices.

FSC™ certification was designed for exactly this: to promote responsible forest management, and ensure traceability throughout the supply chain.

Through this requirement, we want to advance the transparency of our sourcing practices.

FSC™ NO04451 - www.fsc.org