Walk the Walk – eco-friendly footwear

WALK WALKTHE

Footwear is going vegan, with a slew of high-profile brands taking the more eco-friendly option.

Nike has teamed up with Ananas Anam, which specialises in the pineapple vegan leather known as “Pinatex”, to launch a new plant-based sneaker collection known as “The Happy Pineapple Collection”. Reworking some of Nike’s iconic designs over the years, including their Air Force and Air Max sneakers, the animalfree pineapple-based fabric will replace the use of animal leather, used with other sustainable materials such as cork. Created by Dr Carmen Hijosa, Pinatex resembles leather, thanks to the cellulose fibres extracted from pineapple leaves, and is a more sustainable alternative to traditional vegan leather alternatives derived from plastic, such as PU and PVC. By virtue of being animalfree, Pinatex also requires far fewer resources to produce compared to its conventional hide counterparts, as raising animals for skin requires huge amounts of feed, land, water and emits carbon dioxide in the process. The Happy Pineapple comprises five Nike models, each in several colours: Free Run Trail Premium, Air Force 1, Air Max 90, Air Max 95 and Air Zoom Type. Nike has also decided to incorporate other sustainable materials such as natural cork into the Happy Pineapple range, as part of the brand’s campaign to “Move to Zero” and tap into the fast-growing eco-friendly sneaker trend. Nike previously debuted animalfree leather versions of its SB Dunks and a recycled plastic “Space Hippie” range, while competitor brands are releasing their own plant-based and sustainable designs to keep pace with consumer demand. Other brands taking a vegan stance include Reebok, Puma, Veja, Adidas and Swiss brand, On who have collaborated with tennis legend, Roger Federer in “The Roger Centre Court 0-Series”. The new unisex tennis sneaker is made from vegan leather and designed to be as lightweight as possible to reduce material consumption. According to co-founder of On, David Allemann, The Roger has approximately 30 percent of the footprint of animal leather and weighs one third of the weight of typical sneakers thanks to its lightweight Cloutec sole with a hidden “Speedboard” feature. The sole delivers “unrivalled cushioning” and helps return energy to the wearer to make each step feel light. More at on-running.com/en-au