Reebok Innovates with Cotton + Corn Line

Reebok is changing the game with plant-based, sustainable shoes.

As brands everywhere shift to more socially responsible practices, Reebok is going the extra mile in its brand new, plant-based shoes. Their objective is to create shoes “made from things that grow”. If the company is successful, they will be the first to produce a plant-based shoe with an organic cotton upper and a base of industrial grown corn. 

According to SportTechie, Head of Reebok Future, Bill McInnis, explained, “First, with product development we’re using materials that grow and can be replenished, rather than the petroleum-based materials commonly used today. Second, when the product hits the market we know our consumers don’t want to sacrifice on how sneakers look and perform. Finally, we care about what happens to the shoes when people are done with them. So, we’ve focused on plant-based materials such as corn and cotton at the beginning, and compostability in the end.” Moreover, Reebok envisions recycling old Cotton + Corn shoes into compost for soil to grow more materials. 

Reebok has recognized that athletic shoes, an item it produces, are contributing to waste and pollution problems around the globe. It hopes their new initiative will be an effective solution to a growing problem. The Cotton + Corn line will be the product of a partnership with DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio products who manufactures high-performance bio-based solutions. 

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