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Shoe and athletic clothing brand Reebok has launched Forever Floatride GROW, one of the first plant-based performance shoes. The shoe features a highly cushioned, responsive midsole made of sustainably grown castor beans, a breathable eucalyptus tree upper, a sock liner made of odor-resistant BLOOM™ algae foam and a durable outsole made from real rubber trees.
“Forever Floatride GROW is made for runners who care about performance and want to feel good about the products they use daily,” said Emily Mullins, product director at Reebok. “This shoe is the result of a long journey to create a plant-based running shoe that looks and performs like other best-in-class footwear and can withstand running a marathon.”
Making running shoes out of plants is challenging because they need to withstand impact, Mullins says. “We have been able to replace petroleum-based plastics that are traditionally used in running shoes with plant-based plastics,” she adds. “We expect to be able to use more plant-based alternatives for our products moving forward, and we’ll move fast in this space.”
Reebok’s sustainability efforts fall under two pillars: [REE]GROW, which focuses on the creation of products from plant-based materials; and [REE]CYCLED, which focuses on creating products using recycled materials. Reebok is committed to reducing virgin polyester from its material mix and eliminating it altogether by 2024.