Sustainable Sneakers: Reebok Drops Fully Recyclable Kicks Made From Cotton & Corn
Global fashion brands are starting to take initiative in creating more sustainable and environmentally-friendly options for us to feel good about what we wear. Adidas had made running sneakers from recycled ocean plastic, while Nike created the Flyleather from at least 50 percent recycled natural leather fiber. Being one of the global athletic footwear and apparel companies as well, Reebok decided to kick off its sustainable “Cotton + Corn” initiative with a completely recyclable NPC UK Cotton + Corn sneakers made from 100% plant-based materials.
After 5 years of research in partnership with DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, Reebok was finally able to replace the regular petroleum-based rubber outsoles with a field corn-derived alternative. The Reebok NPC UK Cotton + Corn features 100% cotton upper, castor bean oil-derived removable insoles, and corn-based soles, making it the first-ever USDA-certified sneaker for having 75% biobased content. Not only that, the shoes completely undyed (giving it the natural beige color) and comes in a 100% recycled packaging.
The NPC UK Cotton + Corn comes with a price tag of $95 per pair or about 3,120 THB on the official Reebok website. It might take a little finding to be part of this “Cotton + Corn” initiative as the shoes have already all been sold out at the time of writing. Be sure to check out other Reebok retailers and resellers for their availability.
Don’t be sad if you missed out on getting hold of the limited edition NPC UK Cotton + Corn, because Reebok is planning to release more environmentally-friendly sneakers in the future. Be sure to keep an eye out for Reebok’s latest news and updates so you can be one of the first to get hold of one next time.