Reebok sets out to grow renewable shoes
04/04/2017
Named Cotton + Corn, the initiative is being developed by the Reebok Future team to create shoes “made from things that grow”. The first release will be a shoe that has an upper made from organic cotton and a base originating from industrial grown corn (which means corn not suitable for use as food).
Bill McInnis, head of Reebok Future, said on making the announcement that with Cotton + Corn the company is focused on all three phases of the product lifecycle. First, with product development it is using materials that grow and can be replenished, rather than petroleum-based materials. Secondly, when the product hits the market consumers won’t want to sacrifice on how shoes look and perform, he insisted. Finally, Reebok cares about what happens to the shoes when people are finished with them and says using plant-based materials such as corn and cotton at the beginning will allow for compostability at the end.
“We like to say, we are growing shoes,” said Mr McInnis. “Ultimately, our goal is to create a broad selection of bio-based footwear that can be composted after use. We’ll then use that compost as part of the soil to grow the materials for the next range of shoes. We want to take the entire cycle into account; to go from dust to dust.”
For the Cotton + Corn initiative, Reebok has partnered with DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products. Its Susterra propanediol is a petroleum-free, non-toxic, certified bio-based product, derived from field corn. It is Susterra propanediol that Reebok is using to create the sole of its Cotton + Corn shoes.
Reebok president, Matt O’Toole, has said the company wants to stop shoes from going into landfill.
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