The footwear industry moves towards green manufacturing
In a world where an individual can own up to fifty pairs of shoes, the shoe industry has begun to see the need to adopt green practices. Shoemakers are improving their production methods to reduce the size of the carbon footprint they leave behind. However, recognizing that green assembly is not enough, the industry has incorporated recycled and biodegradable materials into its green shoe production.
Manufacture of ecological footwear
In the late 19th century, when factories sprung up in the United States, domestic shoemaking boomed. Due to the economical practices of overseas production in recent years, shoemakers have largely abandoned the US. However, the creation of eco-friendly footwear is bringing some of that business back home.
Less energy, more profit
Shoemakers can save money by going green! The following production practices are becoming increasingly popular in manufacturing due to their ability to reduce costs:
– Wind power
– Solar energy
– Converting waste into energy
– Energy conservation machinery
environmentally friendly materials
The use of eco-friendly textiles and post-consumer materials in the manufacturing of eco-friendly footwear has already had a significant impact in reducing the negative effects of the industry on Earth. Since the late 1800s, the St. Louis-based Daniel Green Company is an American shoemaker keeping pace with the green times. Its Callie and Kenzie women’s shoes are made with 100% recycled wool, more ecological styles are expected soon, energy use and material waste have been reduced in its manufacturing processes.
Green Textiles:
– Recycled Wool
– Recycled polyester
– Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
– Organic cotton
-Bamboo
– hemp
Recycled Textiles
Making a shoe entirely from recycled materials is nothing new. In 2008, Nike released its Trash Talk, the brand’s first basketball shoe made entirely from manufacturing waste.
Since the average textile factory consumes around 35 million kilowatt hours of electricity, it is easy to see the benefit of reusing the materials that were initially produced. Some eco-friendly shoe manufacturers have skipped textiles altogether and used plastic bottles or old tires as main components in the production of their shoes.
Other Eco-Friendly Practices in the Footwear Industry: Process Streamlining, Green Packaging and Excess Inventory Donations
Running as a successful shoe company may just affect the environment, but manufacturers today have choices, and economic success doesn’t have to come at the expense of the planet.
Green shoe companies are applying the green initiative to all aspects of their business by implementing sustainable corporate policies and eco-friendly packaging methods. Boxes are being made from recycled materials and catalogs are being printed on post-consumer paper with soy ink. More and more companies are choosing to eliminate waste by donating surplus and obsolete shoes to organizations around the world.