Reebok is launching a plant-based version of its Nano X1 training shoe, aptly named the Nano X1 Vegan. The new sneakers are partly made with “40 percent bio-based materials,” including wood from trees.
The athletic wear company released the Nano X1 earlier this year. The sneaker is designed to provide stability during exercises of different intensities, from running and high-intensity to lifting weights and walking.
These components of the new vegan Reebok shoe include a cotton and wood spun yarn upper, a castor bean oil and EVA foam midsole, and a rubber outsole, according to a press release.
Along with the Nano X1 Vegan, Reebok is also launching the Floatride Energy GROW. The running shoe is part of the brand’s Floatride [REE]GROW family of more sustainable shoes. It uses the same materials as the Forever Floatride GROW launched last October. But, it is modeled after the new Floatride Energy 3 running shoe instead, a brand representative told LIVEKINDLY. These materials include eucalyptus bark and an algae-based sock liner.
Tal Short, senior product manager at Reebok, said in a statement: “We have a responsibility not just to design and create with our consumers in mind, but also planet Earth.”
Sneaker Brands Get Sustainable
The global fashion industry has a considerable carbon footprint, accounting for 10 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. But, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a nonprofit that counts H&M and IKEA as its strategic partners, brands can help lead the way toward a more sustainable fashion industry.
Reebok is a subsidiary of athleticwear company Adidas, which has partnered with sustainable British designer Stella McCartney on a number of occasions. The latest collaboration between the two included workout gear made from recycled ocean plastic. It is also working with Allbirds, a brand known for its wool sneakers, to create the “world’s most sustainable shoe.”
Nike recently launched shoes made with a percentage of recycled materials as part of its “Move to Zero” sustainability initiative.
The Reebok Floatride Energy GROW launches on April 15 and the Nano X1 Vegan launches on May 1.
