Will plant based sneakers and subscription services solve footwear's pollution problem?
Episode 2 of The shegotgame Podcast is up now!
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Good evening friends and strangers!
We’ve made it to yet another week - where apparently the world is turning upside down, again! Also, tha means that the second episode of The shegotgame Podcast is out! This week my “little” brother from another Mother and frequent collaborator Randy Osei joins us to chat about social entrepreneurship, self-preservation and deep focus with a few NBA stories mixed in for good measure.
This episode may count as my personal flu game as I was fighting an illness most of the week likely caused by stress and a “healthy” Blue Mylk Latte that gave me food poisoning (this is what I get for going to Whole Foods - fingers crossed it wasn’t Miss Rona passing through - still waiting on that drive thru test my Mom and I did at a waterpark last Saturday. 2020 is something else…).
More ways to listen:
Are Reebok’s plant based sneakers a gimmick or a step towards lasting change?:
Reebok announced their new fully plant-based shoe back in 2019, serving as the North American market’s foray into sustainable performance sneakers. The brand first launched their “Cotton + Corn” lifestyle collection in Europe but this is their first foray into eco-friendly performance sneakers in the American market.
In terms of the material breakdown, the midsole is made from sustainably-grown castor beans, the upper is made using eucalypts trees and algae foam while the rubber outsole is made from real rubber trees. It’s interesting how the brand is really pushing that these products are not derived from petroleum-based products and plastics. Oil in footwear always seems like a taboo topic that most consumers didn’t acknowledge or even understand.
As always, the shoes are made in the seemingly sustainable standard unbleached, natural looking ivory shade. Why must be in a sea of white, beige and ivory? I understand as someone who consults in footwear production and trend that more environmentally friendly color and dye treatments are still evolving and that we’re now seeing shoes that were developed 1.5-3 years ago. But dear god, if the stylized vegetables are the most interesting part of your sneaker product photos - shouldn’t that give you a tiny bit of pause? Even beige’s biggest fan Kanye West is doing color! (Don’t get me started on his “sustainable” goals that he loudly proclaimed while printing mountains of generic merch on virgin cotton-poly blends - but that’s a rant for another day).
Excessively neutral palettes aside, it’s interesting to see adidas’ eco-minded footwear tech pop up in their other product lines (adidas is Reebok’s parent company) and how they’re being used. The shoe was released on October 1st on Reebok’s UNLOCKED, their loyalty program, for $120 USD or $150 CAD for both men and women.
REI bounds into footwear:
In Canada, we are mourning the demise of MEC Co-Op (Mountain Equipment Co-Op) as it recently lost their fight to stop the sale of the co-operative to a California-based Kingswood Capital Management (pour some of your Camelback out for them). Stateside, MEC’s American equivalent REI Co-Op (Recreational Equipment Inc. - did you know they shared supply chain and sustainability best practices?!) is venturing into their next frontier - footwear. As originally reported by Footwear News, the outdoor retailer is finally making their own shoes, starting with a backpacking boot, a hybrid hike/run shoe and a casual sneaker that would work for weekend hikes or casual walks. The company recently released their new climate commitment goals which includes halving their carbon footprint by 2030 and their new line aims to make shoes with low environmental impact but maximum versatility. It’ll be interesting to see how the line grows in terms of product and if the existing REI customer buys into the first three silhouettes when they launch in spring 2021 season and if the sustainable storytelling brings in new REI fans.
On Running’s subscription sneakers:
When adidas launched their FUTURECRAFT.LOOP shoe concept in 2019 it was a big moment - a sneaker designed in a circular closed loop system (recycling of a material can be done indefinitely without degradation of properties). Influencers and media were invited to wear the shoe, then mail it back for recycling - and then get a new shoe made from their old shoes! adidas has been running into a few hiccups in stage 2 of product development, but a Swiss-owned brand may beat them to the consumer market.
On Running’s new Cyclon sneaker is the first fully recyclable sneaker exclusively available by subscription. The Cyclon is an unisex lightweight performance running shoe that you can pre-order at $29.99 USD or $34.99 CAD that is marketed as the sneaker that you never own. You get a pair - which is 100% recyclable and made of a mix of materials including castor beans (like the Reebok GROW) - wear for about 400KMs (or 250 miles) then send them back to be recycled and get a new pair. It’s an interesting experiment in circular design and the first generation is expected to ship in mid-2021 (same time frame as adidas’ current projection). I’m really curious to see how the subscription system will scale, what the demand will be and how well they perform for different kinds of runners. Sneakers are notoriously difficult to recycle so any step to circularity is a great start and I think I may order a pair - time will tell if my old knees are a fan.
Extra Credit:
If you’re looking for a more in-depth analysis of how the United States can pivot to becoming more sustainable - I’d really recommend checking out works by Jeffrey D. Sachs. I’m finishing up “Building the New American Economy - Smart, Fair and Sustainable” now. Sachs is Columbia professor and was an advisor on Bernie Sander’s presidential campaign. It’s an accessible book from an economic perspective that’s filled me with both anger about the current administration and previous missteps but also hope as it’s a great overview of how the United States can take a page from other economies to become a more equitable country for all. I’m listening to it free on Libby through my NYPL card (one less way for Bezos to take my hard earned cash into becoming a super villain).
If a good watch is more your speed, stream “Jane Fonda in Five Acts”. The documentary is a great overview of her career but also illustrates how you can use your work to fuel your passion and your activism. I’ve often felt guilty that I’m not on the front lines affecting change on the ground daily but Jane shows how you be an agent for change as an artist. For example, did you know she used her work out tapes to fund the causes she champions? You can stream it on HBO in the US or HBO on Crave in Canada.
Randy’s recommendation is the book “Deep Work” from Cal Newport which I’ve scooped up in audiobook form and sounds like it has great principles - whether or not you work with ADHD or not like me and sometimes struggle between no focus and hyperfocus.
As always, feel free to send in any of your questions, comments or recommendations. You can submit a voice message to the podcast here or leave a comment on the Substack post.
Stay safe and stay true,
Megan
@shegotgame
PS. Be sure to follow along on Twitter and Instagram for more and check out my website at MeganAnnWilson.com.