Avid runners and hikers know how to put their shoes to work. It’s common for high-mileage dynamos to retire a few pairs of sneakers each year. Exercise science experts recommend replacing your running shoes every 300 to 500 miles to ensure your muscles and joints are properly supported while running. While the feel of the new shoes is first class, it comes at a cost—more waste generated and more energy needed to make new materials and new products. Sneaker giant New Balance is unwilling to accept this waste as simply a necessary reality of the industry. Instead, the company has set some admirable sustainability goals to address the ways its products contribute to the problem.
Sustainability is not a new priority for New Balance; the company has long prioritized efforts to be more environmentally responsible. But the New Balance team is very aware of the current reality of climate change. “We have an extremely small window of time to take action,” says John Stokes, the company’s director of sustainability. “It depends on what we do in the next seven to eight years. The time is now and we literally cannot act fast enough.”
Stokes leads an internal department that focuses on understanding how business decisions affect much more than just the bottom line. From this understanding, the team develops strategies for more sustainable business practices and frequently re-evaluates which efforts will have the most impact.
Support of subjects with an environmental focus
Preserving and protecting the environment is a key part of the sustainability mission at New Balance. The company expands its reach by working with 1% for the planeta global network of businesses that pledge to give 1 percent of gross sales to environmentally focused entities.
For New Balance, that means 1 percent of MSRP from every sale Fresh X Hierro foam series (Hierro v7, Hierro Mid and Hierro v7 GTX) in the United States are donated to organizations focused on climate protection and public lands protection, including Protect our winters AND Trust for Public Land.
Hierro sneakers were a natural fit for this relationship as they are a beloved shoe for many outdoor enthusiasts. Stokes and his team hope to add more shoes and apparel to this program in the coming years.
Reducing the carbon footprint
Carbon emissions are a key indicator when it comes to assessing sustainability. Most of New Balance’s carbon footprint can be attributed to three things: the materials used to manufacture the products, the energy consumption in the factories, and the transportation of the products from the factory to the market. “There is no single aspect that makes a product more sustainable,” says Stokes. “It’s pretty holistic and we’re trying to address all those areas of big impact.” New Balance previously pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030, but in 2021, the company signed the 1.5C Business Ambition and recently unveiled an even more aggressive target that is in line with 1.5C. The company also has several specific goals it plans to achieve by 2025, all of which contribute to its overall climate goals:
- Materials: Source 100 percent preferred cotton, 100 percent preferred leather and 50 percent recycled polyester. Now, New Balance is incorporating leather sourced from a verified regenerative farm in California into some of its products, and regenerative supply chains for split suede are in the works. Regenerative agriculture is an impactful way to achieve long-term sustainability goals through ongoing ecosystem care and protection.
- loss: Achieve zero waste to landfill in all shoe factories and eliminate the use and discharge of hazardous chemicals. Most of a product’s impact — including waste — is determined at the design stage, Stokes says, so New Balance focuses on smart, efficient design and reliable construction so its products last as long as possible. possible. Stokes and his team are releasing a zero-waste design guide that teaches product designers how to use the company’s “no part left behind” design approach and other strategies to reduce the amount of waste they “design ” in a shoe from the beginning.
- Energy: Power all owned operations with 100 percent renewable electricity by 2025.
The whole company is on this sustainability mission. “There’s more energy and interest now than ever before,” says Stokes.
Extending the life of your running shoes
New Balance demonstrates the value of taking an idea of sustainability and running with it. In addition to developing more sustainable design and manufacturing practices, New Balance is pushing the boundaries of how long a running shoe can really last. The company is currently testing cleaning and repair services in the UK and Japan. The hope is that if these services are scalable, they can help extend the life of New Balance shoes around the world. Until then, New Balance is adding more home care instructions to its website to help you maintain your shoes. Yes, you’ll still need to replace your running shoes when your old ones wear out, but proper shoe care can extend their life. The most durable shoe is the one that already exists. Stokes also suggests we rethink the paradigm that shoes only last a certain number of miles. This number will vary for everyone – If your shoes still work for you, keep using them.
While there is currently no way to recycle New Balance sneakers, the possibility is certainly on Stokes’ radar. The design and innovation teams are looking for ways to make the construction and materials of New Balance shoes more recycling-friendly in the future.
Independent since 1906, New balance empowers people through sport and craftsmanship to create positive change in communities around the world.
