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HOW SUSTAINABLE ARE SNEAKERS? THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF SNEAKER PRODUCTION


BY RUGILE PALEVICIUTE



Over the last 5 years the sneaker industry has grown exponentially and shows no
indication of slowing down. Current projections anticipate the global athletic
footwear market to exceed 95 billion (USD) by 2025, a near doubling from the
2016 valuation (55 billion). According to the World Footwear Yearbook, over 24
billion pairs of shoes are produced annually (primarily under exploitative
conditions) with sneakers accounting for the largest share. What are the
environmental consequences of the rapidly growing sneaker industry?


THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF SNEAKER PRODUCTION 

Sneaker production is exceptionally carbon intensive, accounting for 1.4% of the
global greenhouse gas emissions, which is significant given that air travel is
responsible for 2.5 percent of all emissions.

A study conducted by MIT in 2013 found that a typical pair of running shoes
generates approximately 13.6 kilograms of CO₂ emissions. “Unusually high for a
product that does not use electricity or require power-driving components”
comments Randolph Kirchain, one of the co-authors of the research. The bulk of
these emissions come from manufacturing, which is unsurprising considering the
production processes and materials involved.

The majority of sneakers are predominately fabricated from plastic and/or
plastic-like materials. All these petroleum-derived plastics (polyester,
thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and
ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) produce alarming numbers of carbon dioxide.




SNEAKER INDUSTRY DEPENDENCE ON PLASTIC

Why is it so difficult to move away from the use of plastic? Considering that
sneakers have to endure much more than a regular pair of shoes, the durability
aspect is very important and when it comes to performance, unfortunately,
synthetic materials hold up better than natural ones. Plastic has made shoes
better, lighter, faster, more comfortable, and more accessible to everyone
worldwide. But another thing is that most shoes are made using a combination of
different plastics stitched and glued in a very complicated ways making them
very hard to recycle. As the author of the National Geographic article said:
‘The limits of plastic recycling are currently quite hard. It takes energy to
collect the materials, remake them into their second existence and in many
cases, that second life is their last, so recycling extends the process but
doesn’t solve the underlying problem.’


WHAT DO BRANDS DO TO ADDRESS THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT?

“The footwear industry is at least 10 years behind the rest of fashion in terms
of human rights and environmental standards,” says Tansy Hoskins, author of the
book Foot Work: What Your Shoes are Doing to the World.

7 out of 10 brands are having discussions on sustainability, yet only 40% of
companies have a sustainability program in place. Big industry players (such as
Adidas and Nike) and some smaller labels (Allbirds, Veja for example) are trying
to reduce their carbon footprint in different ways, be it through manufacturing
processes or material innovations.

In 2015, Adidas teamed up with environmental initiative Parley for the Oceans to
release the first performance shoe with an upper made from marine plastic waste
and deep-sea gillnets (fishing nets that are hung vertically so that fish get
trapped by their gills); In 2018, Nike was recognised by Textile Exchange as the
brand using the most recycled polyester in the industry for the sixth year in a
row; from 2010-2018, the brand turned 6.4 billion plastic water bottles into
footwear or apparel. Nike is also tapping renewable energy sources for its
factories and aiming for carbon neutrality.

A sustainable shoe brand Allbirds has begun offering a carbon footprint count
for every shoe in its collection (that info is available to customers online).
Compared to a standard pair of men’s running shoes made with synthetic
materials, Allbirds’ version produces nearly less than half of the carbon
emissions, according to its calculations. 




WHAT CAN WE DO AS CONSUMERS?

Considering that close to 25 billion pairs of shoes were produced worldwide in
the last year, it is clear that immediate action is essential, not optional.
2020 is a year of a serious change and it is my hope that we will redefine our
relationship with fashion and think about the environmental impact of our
shopping habits.

Vote with our money for the practices and production that you support, choose
brands that use a combination of natural and recycled materials in their
production and are committed to reducing their environmental impact. And love
our sneakers, like the good friends they are.  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


VIDEO: YOUR SNEAKERS ARE PART OF THE PLASTIC PROBLEM | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC







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Ethical FashionMay 27, 2020
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