Sneaker Sustainability

A new pair of synthetic running shoes can typically generate 13 kgs of CO2 emissions according to a team of MIT scientist. When  looking at the statistic alone it might not seem as serious but considering that running shoes produce no electricity, a pair of running sneakers leave a carbon footprint equivalent of a 100-watt lightbulb burning for an entire week. Now multiply this times millions of runners all over the world and billions of sneakers made very year. This can leave a pretty big impact concerning the use of natural resources.  

Besides plastics the sneakers industry uses crude oil repeatedly. As we all know, oil is not a sustainable resource. 

There are shoe brands that are trying to develop alternatives to the use of the oil. Take Nike for example. They’ve created a shoe called the Flyknit. With the Flyknit constructed with one knit upper that is stuck to the sole of the shoe. This makes the shoe lightweight, breathable and reduces waste.  Nike also has project called Reuse-A-Shoe. Old running shoes get recycled to Nike Grind and make great athletic turfs and playground surfaces.

Resource: http://www.urbanmeisters.com/sustainable-running-leave-a-greener-footprint-with-sthical-sneakers/