Recycled Plastic and Packaging … For Your Feet!

We've talked about graduation gowns and wedding dresses, handbags and bikinis, all made with recycled plastics and packaging materials to help reduce waste and raise environmental awareness. What's the next step for eco-couture, or eco-fashion? Footwear. Big-name shoe manufacturers New Balance and PUMA recently released new, eco-friendly sneakers that replace suede and virgin plastic materials with sustainable materials.

PUMA's Re-Suede vegan sneaker takes the popular suede sneaker and replaces its materials with 100% recycled materials. The new outsole uses rice husks instead of plastic latex, while the upper part of the shoe is made with synthetic Ultrasuede that reduces carbon emissions and energy consumption by 80%. The sustainable sneakers save on manufacturing costs, energy and agricultural resources. The shoes will be sold in PUMA's sustainable Clever Little Bag.

New Balance's newSky sneaker is a lace-up design made from 95% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, replacing traditional materials such as virgin plastic, foam or leather. Each pair of newSky sneakers contains an average of eight recycled plastic bottles. The new shoes help reduce plastic waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill, while also reducing the production of virgin plastic materials.

At Heritage Pioneer, we stay on top on the latest in sustainable packaging news so that we can keep our customers in the know. Contact us today to learn more about our sustainable packaging products and services that work toward a greener future.