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Allbirds open sources net-zero shoe technology
September 11th, 2023
Allbirds will launch its carbon net-zero M0.0NSHOT shoe next spring. Photo: Allbirds. U.S. footwear brand Allbirds is making available the technology behind what it says is the world's first net-zero shoe. The company has open sourced its toolkit for the M0.0NSHOT shoe by publishing it on its website. The shoe is currently a prototype due […]
The challenge of making sustainable footwear
July 31st, 2023
Plastic footwear can take 1000 years to break down. Photo: OrthoLite. A single method to calculate and mitigate the negative environmental impact of footwear is much needed. The European Commission is promoting the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), designed to offer a single method to calculate, and perhaps as important, to communicate the environmental performance of […]
Additive manufacturing for more sustainable footwear
July 31st, 2023
Hilos shoes and the 3D printed shoes platform. Photo Hilos. 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of footwear manufacturing by some 48 percent, and reduce water consumption by 99 percent, compared with traditional footwear manufacturing, according to a study led by Portland, Oregon’s HILOS, in partnership with Yale’s Center for […]
Tennies and the footwear revolution
July 31st, 2023
The world calls them “sneakers,” but Minnesotans (at least older folks) call them “tennies.” This is the shortened version of tennis shoes—so called because of their original purpose. Today, it hardly matters as the brilliant idea for a comfortable, functional, durable—and even washable—shoe has so taken off as to leave Keds brand tennies in the […]
A new world in sustainable footwear
July 17th, 2023
When Nike launched its Flyknit trainer in 2012, it kickstarted a new era in sustainable footwear. The one-piece uppers, knit on a flat machine, created 60 percent less waste than traditional construction. The transition to recycled polyester (rPET) yarns in 2016 added to the brand’s sustainability cred. Adidas followed quickly with their Primeknit styles and […]
Covestro partners with HUAFENG on footwear textiles
November 14th, 2022
Guests at Covestro’s Expo booth could view a shoe manufactured with 3D HAPTIC® textile printing using its INSQIN® system on recycled PET. The textile industry continues to look for ways to reduce its CO₂ footprint, for example in the fabrication of sports shoes. HUAFENG, a textile technology company, chose to apply INSQIN® PU by Covestro, […]
Footwear maker reaches net-zero emissions
September 13th, 2021
Twisted X®, a Twisted X Global Brands company, and maker of sustainable footwear, announces that the company has reached net-zero emissions and is furthering its commitment to maintaining carbon neutrality. This qualification comes after assessing 2020 emissions from business operations at their headquarter offices in Texas, contract factories in Mexico and Asia, and third-party distribution […]
H&M, Good News launch sustainable shoe collection
April 12th, 2021
Photo: H&M. A partnership with retailer H&M and U.K.-based shoe brand Good News has produced a unique trainer collection that uses recycled rubber from car tires and old shoes, with uppers made of recycled cotton, Vegea® and Bananatex®. Bananatex is a material based on the fiber from the banana plant family, which is made in […]
Cannabis sneakers support sustainability
October 31st, 2019
German sneaker brand nat-2, which has turned milk, plastic bottles, and coffee grounds into sneakers, recently presented sneakers made with cannabis leaves. The unisex sneaker’s uppers are made from sustainably grown, chemical-free recycled cannabis leaves, which cover up to half the shoe’s surface, depending on the style. The leaves are layered into a green surface […]
Shoes are hand-made from fungi
April 23rd, 2018
Engineering firm nat-2 has developed fungi footwear made of “mushroom leather” that has a vintage look and is reported to be very soft. The leather-like material is created from the trama of the tinder sponge, fomes fomentarius, which grows on dead or weak birches and beeches. The material is organic and chemical-free and the fungus gives it […]