After Greta Thunberg and millions of young people around the world joined her in the international movement against climate change on March 15th, it’s a reality that the future must be sustainable.
We cannot avoid that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. It produces mountains of trash in the poorest countries, but the worst part is that most of the clothes are made with synthetic materials that won’t disappear in hundreds or even millions of years. That’s why we must pay more attention to the materials our clothes are made and be more conscious of their impact.
Sneaker and jean production are two of the most contaminating processes in fashion. In their making, they spend thousands of liters of water without considering all the polluting gases like carbon dioxide produced for the making of sneakers soles and other preservatives used to keep sneakers in good condition.
However, we have good news. Many brands are realizing of this huge impact on the environment and they are already looking for biodegradable materials which are both sustainable and long-lasting. Piñatex is one of these materials with a similar finish to leather but it comes from the pineapple fibers.
A big step for sustainability
Big brands like Nike with their collection Flyleather, they are already producing sneakers 5 times more long-lasting by recycling the leather waste from older collections. With this new model, they have been able to reduce the water spending by 90%.
Another big company, Adidas, launched Futurecraft.Loop. With this project, they are involved in a circular process, recycling plastic to make new sneakers. Willow Smith is the image in the presentation video, she and her brother Jaden, representing Z Generation concerned with the environment’s future.
Converse has also recently released a new collection called Converse Renew Canvas, a reinvention of the classic Chuck Taylor All Star. These new sneakers are made with recycled plastic bottles and are decorated with a message on their sole “Life is too short to waste”.
Sustainable brands
The demand for sustainable sneakers and especially vegan models have been growing in the latest years. The French brand but with Brazilian production, Veja, has made vegan sneakers accessible to everyone. With a retro and minimal design, these sneakers make a positive impact with different leather alternatives like recycling plastic or using the non-edible part of corn.
Everlane is another brand that recently released a small sneaker collection with its main goal of reducing Co2 emissions. Everlane is characterized by their transparency, as you can find in their website all the details of the production of each item like the place of production, the materials used and the cost leading to the final price.
Ecoalf was one of the first Spanish brands that started selling clothes made with recycled plastic. The brand has a minimalistic and timeless design and their sneaker collection, totally sustainable, mixes a sporty vibe with a more casual style.
It’s important that more brands invest in new technologies that get to reduce all the pollution during production and especially, finding that secret formula where neither fashion or sustainability are conceivable without the other