The Concept Shoe is a high-performance running shoe that gets fully recycled into alpine ski boot shells. Hot on the heels of Adidas Futurecraft Loop running shoes that never have to be thrown away, Salomon Sports is launching a like-minded shoe that is also fully recyclable.
Calling the Concept Shoe a “step toward 100-percent circular economy product design,” the product is a high-performance road-running shoe made entirely from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). At the end of its life on the road, it can be ground down and used in Solomon’s alpine ski boot shells, giving it a second life on the slopes.
It is not clear what happens to the boot at the end of its life; it does not appear to be fully circular yet, but the company says that the process will allow Salomon to extend the life cycle of the materials by more than double. It’s a good place to start.
Unveiled this week in Munich, the shoe spent 18 months in the development stage and looks to be playing a starring role in the company’s Play Minded Program. This sustainability initiative outlines the company’s intention to reduce its environmental impact over the next decade. The program includes pledges to reduce its overall carbon emissions by 30 percent by the year 2030, as well as eliminating perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) across all equipment categories by 2023, among other plans.
“We recognize that we have to do better for the environment by creating Salomon footwear that drastically reduces its impact on the planet,” says Guillaume Meyzenq, V.P.of Salomon Footwear. “By creating this concept shoe that can be recycled into a ski boot shell, we are showing that it is possible to find alternative materials to create performance footwear. It’s an exciting development that will help lead us to more sustainable footwear solutions in the future.”
