BIRKENSTOCK products have been influenced over generations by a tireless creative quest for Naturgewolltes Gehen (walking as nature intended). We stand for extraordinary quality and next level functionality. This is a result of the high-quality materials we use and the fact that we manufacture in Germany, in production facilities owned exclusively by our company. An unusually high level of human skill and handcraft is utilised in our modern production processes. This is what makes BIRKENSTOCK products so special.

The anatomically contoured footbed, which has been developed by BIRKENSTOCK over more than a century, is the heart and soul of every sandal, clog and shoe the company produces. Only the best natural materials are used in footbed production. Within the footbed, layers of jute (a super strong and durable plant-based material), are combined with two different grades of granulated cork, which are bound together with a natural latex milk. These natural products are then topped with a leather lining created from European hides. It is a unique natural recipe that defines the BIRKENSTOCK footbed.

The BIRKENSTOCK spirit

BIRKENSTOCK buckles are manufactured from rolls of steel, which have been sliced like a cucumber laterally, before being rolled out and fed into powerful presses, which punch out the buckle into the iconic shape. A pass through the unique wooden deburring drum takes place, before the buckles are transferred to a belt-driven ‘vibrator’ into which small pyramid shaped ceramic stones are added. This vibration and scrub process works off any residual oil that remains after the press-and-deburr process is complete. The vibrator drum’s distinguishing feature is a red broom head, which slows down the finished parts to such an extent that the stones and buckles separate cleanly. This small, simple innovation perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Karl Birkenstock.

Craftsmanship at scale

After drying, galvanising and painting, the finished buckles are packaged. Every day, as many as 360,000 buckles make the journey to the packaging machine. Here they are filled into bags - ready for shipment to the final assembly line.