Co-founder Jeff Swartz was the CEO of Timberland before selling the business in 2011 to VF Corp. His son Noah Swartz wanted to create a better boot made with exacting environmental standards.

Jeff Swartz said: "My grandfather, Nathan, taught me responsibility and modeled resilience and courage. My dad, Sidney, taught me how to dream and what determination is. But it's my son Noah who is teaching me how to stretch imagination and deliver on our ideals. It took four generations, but we are getting somewhere with the launch of Erem.”
 
The uppers feature reverse, full-grain leather and brass hardware, Tencel lyocell canvas panelling and lining and a cork insole. A gusseted tongue and padded collar keep out rocks and debris while a full-length wood-fibre shank board provides torsional support and underfoot protection. The biodegradable one-piece outsole is made of 70% recycled rubber and is stitched to the upper using welt-grade linen thread.

Noah Swartz said: "The vast beauty and extremes of the desert have and always will draw people eager to explore and adventure, which is why I believe that the desert demands and deserves its own gear.

"Desert problems are global problems, and desert solutions are global solutions. This is why Erem has committed to planting 1 million prickly pear cacti."

Valued by indigenous cultures in the Sonoran Desert (US), prickly pears are fast-growing, water-efficient plants with the potential to capture carbon dioxide, produce of fruit, and restore dehydrated rivers. Erem has planted 250 prickly pears and will use proceeds to plant more.