Footwear
Green Silence
Exercise is great for the body, but with the right adjustments, we can off-set the waste we produce in powering our TVs and Mp3 players that help satiate our need for a distraction from the fact that we’re working out, as well as the tools we use for the work out itself (i.e. treadmills). That’s how we normally think of waste anyways. Another form of overlooked waste is something much closer and far more vital to most aerobic workouts, namely, what we’re wearing.
Courtesy Maloney & Fox
A company that’s been heralded as a champion for the cause of athletic footwear with a less noticeable carbon footprint is none other than the local Brooks Sports, inc. Amongst their line up of shoes is one that would catch the eye of any avid environmentalist, the Green Silence. Like similar companies going eco with their shoes such as the New Balance eco shoe and biodegradable Simple brand shoes, these shoes are tapping the athletic market. The shoes, consisting of over 75% post-consumer recycled material, also boast a biodegradable insole and collar foams. For a more detailed listing of features, go here.
Shoes that Biodegrade, even in a Landfill?
I was shocked, just as you might be after my last article on how long things take to biodegrade. It seems to be biodegrade month here on The Chic Ecologist, so I am very happy to be reporting on a company that has developed a way to allow their product to biodegrade in a non-compost environment – particularly a landfill.
Sustainable shoes are starting to gain some attention from Toms and Reef, to even New Balance, larger shoemakers are getting into it. There have been a few pioneers in this industry, shaping it as they go, one of these brands is Simple.
Simple Shoes are coming out with a new line of shoes called BIO-D with a biodegradable outsole and midsole with an impregnated pellet mixture containing millions of tiny microbes to ensure it’s journey to dirt. Like their existing line of ecoSneakssustainable footwear, they are made with materials such as recycled car tire bottoms, hemp uppers, organic cotton linings, recycled plastic bottles (PET) shoe laces and foot beds, and water-based glues.
The process only begins in landfill or compost-like conditions, so they will not be a pile of dirt in your closet overnight. Because they can degrade in both anaerobic (without oxygen) and aerobic (with oxygen) conditions, they actually will break down in a landfill.
New Balance 70 Eco Shoe (ME070 & WE070)
New Balance is breaking into the green shoe arena, and we aren’t talking colors. The just released ME070 and WE070 are made from recycled and sustainable materials, designed and developed with a real focus on eliminating waste. Boston-based New Balance is in the process of creating a new eco-preferred collection within it’s Outdoor category, of which the 70 will be the introductory model.
Billed as “part of a larger, corporate-wide sustainability initiative to operate our business in an environmentally sensitive manner,” the New Balance 70s are just the tip of the toe. Developed for eco-fashionable consumers, the New Balance 70 features a new eco-friendly construction with seventy-five percent of the upper components consisting of “environmentally preferred materials.” The laces, webbing, rand, quarter, tongue and saddle incorporate recycled polyester; the foxing and the tip of the shoe are synthetics made with fewer solvents than traditional materials. Rice husks filler in the outsole reduces the amount of rubber needed, thus reducing the amount of petroleum used. Water-based adhesives (rather than solvent-based) are used to join the upper and the sole unit and no paper stuffing or paper wrapping are used in the packaging of 70.
I was lucky enough to be one of the few to test out this new shoe before it hit the market. The first impression of the stylish burnt-orange model (MT070PB) I received in the model was › Continue reading
Green Shoes – Stylish Eco-conscious Footwear
Simple
Casual shoes should be comfortable, but why not make them earth friendly too? Simple did just that and as shoe companies go, this is probably one of the top eco-friendly large shoe companies out there. With materials ranging from recycled tires, organic cotton, jute, hemp, bamboo, natural latex and BLC leathers, Simple shoes are innovative in their efforts to lower environmental impacts. They even package their shoes in is 100% post-consumer recycled boxes.
They even have a video out about their story, and it’s pretty interesting and entertaining. It shows the amount of thought and care put into each shoes design and environmental impact.
Timberland
Looking for hiking boots or work shoes? Timberland has come along way with their corporate social responsibility and product labeling. Becoming the first to label how eco-friendly their shoes are on the box by assigning each a carbon footprint score, they are raising awareness to the impact of everyday items most take for granted.
Reef
Sandals your fancy? Reef has a line called Reef Redemption that utilizes Recycled EVA, Hemp, Jute and water based adhesives. Combinations of these elements are put together into on one the most popular and comfortable flip flops around, just ask the surfers. Reef also supports non-profit conservation groups (mostly ocean related) and humanitarian efforts with 1% of all sales.
For more suggestions, and smaller lesser known shoe makers, check out the Great Green Shoes blog.
