BuyGreen Thinking

What do we do with our old shoes?

Have you ever wondered what happens to your shoes when you are done with them?  At best they get used by someone else or ideally they actually get recycled.  Maybe we would better served by getting a shoe that uses better materials and construction so that when we are done with them, the impact of getting rid of them is minimized.

A little while ago, I was ready to buy a new pair of sneakers.  Before this purchase I never stopped to think about the materials that go into the shoes I was going to buy.   I didn’t know any better.  I would simply just throw away my used shoes. Yes, that’s right, chuck them right into the garbage. My guess is this is what happens to the majority of the millions of shoes that get bought every year.  My guess is this is horrible for the environment. Not just bad, but horrible.  My guess is most of shoes are made from virgin materials that do not biodegrade any time soon; rubber and plastics make up a good portion of shoe material and they glues used to hold them together are loaded with toxins and VOCs.  I had not been aware of any epic breakthroughs in shoe construction.

However,  this time around, I am more aware of this issue compliments of working at BuyGreen.com This time around I was going to PreCycle my shoe purchase. That means quite literally, you think about what is going to happen to them when you are done with them.  Previously, I would always go to the store and buy a shoe not knowing nor caring about the future of this shoe and the environment.   Then came a solution! Simple Shoes.

My New Shoes!

I decide to buy Simple Shoe’s D-Solve – Recycled PET Blend in Deep Blue.  Many People and friends have asked me if I bought the new Kobe Bryant shoes. I laughed and said, what made you think that? A friend of mine stated that they look so similar, because they are purple and yellow.

I explained that its a Simple Shoe.  Some people had this look on their face like, what did he just say. I would tell them about this great company that takes materials that you and I would see as junk and turn it into a shoe. Its a company that manufactures Eco- friendly or green shoes, and yes they biodegrade!

My sneakers have jute blend uppers, suede eyestays from an eco-certified tannery (BLC/ISO 14001). The sole of this shoe is biodegradable! It’s made of recycled and natural rubber and EVA with Eco-Pure additive to make the sole biodegrade in a landfill.  The shoes have certified organic cotton lining and footbed Certified organic cotton laces. The “pedbed” (the cushiony and supportive stuff at the bottom of the shoe) is made of super soft and squishy polyurethane foam and recycled rubber.  Simple Shoes uses water based glue to hold the shoe together, not petroleum based.  Just another way to reduce our dependence on petroleum, and it also means no nasty smelling glue for the people who put your shoes together.  Last, the foot form inserts are made of post consumer recycled paper and the shoebox is made of post-consumer recycled paper, sustainable soy based printing ink, natural latex and starch based glue.

Now that is a different and better shoe!  The use of recycled materials will keep 8 water bottles out of the ocean. Now isn’t this worth owning one? I certainly thought so.  The more we can keep out of our oceans the happier our marine life will be. The happier they are, the happier we evidently become.

Many people will argue that buying something Eco friendly or Green, it will cost them an arm and a leg. This is not true. I spent $65 for my shoes which is about what I spend anyhow.

I feel that you will be happier when you buy green. Another thing I noticed when I first started wearing them was how comfortable they are. Some people have asked if its biodegradable, wouldn’t the shoe be very weak?  My answer to this is NO. Simple Shoes are sturdy comfortable and best of all, you don’t need to compromise anything.

I think you actually gain something and so does our planet. So think about the environment before you pick up that pair of sneakers that’s on sale.

Simple Shoes Story

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Tags: buygreen.com, d-solve, eco-certified, EVA, natural rubber, organic cotton, recycled, simple shoes, sustainable, voc, water based glues