Biodegradable Shoes
Stepping into biodegradable vegan shoes by Adidas.
Most shoes today will end up in landfills when they are at the end of their life or simply because they are no longer wanted. The average pair shoes will take up to 50 years to fully decompose. This is an extremely long time and will exponentially increase the number of garments collecting at landfills. The fashion industry needs to make a change into how shoes and garments are produced as approximately 330 million pairs of shoes are sold every year in the UK!
Adidas are taking a huge step into the sustainability market with a collection of their shoes. The company aims to become carbon neutral by 2050. I think this is an ambitious goal but that doesn’t mean it’s not achievable.
Their new shoes, which will be made available soon, are Vegan Shoes Made with Mushroom Leather. Adidas are setting a strong example to other companies that we should be making changes to the way we produce fashion. Why does the planet have to suffer for your feet to look good!
Adidas’ new shoes are made from a biodegradable fungi-based leather alternative called Mylo™. It is made with mycelium, the part of the fungus that extends below the ground. The fibres underneath the plant are so strong they hold the plant together. It is a soft, flexible and less damaging to the environment material. Current synthetic leathers contain high amounts of plastic and will take years to fully biodegrade.
I believe manufacturers should be considering switching to Mylo, as it offers many environmental benefits and can improve the company image by taking a stand against synthetic toxic dyes and materials currently used by majority of fashion companies. However, I think more research should be taken on how long it takes for the material to decompose and how much CO2 is released in manufacturing stages. These are important things to consider as the material process could be developed further for example in the initial conditions’ stages of Mylo growth.
Mylo is deemed the ‘Unleather’ – [ən-le-t͟hər]
‘The radical act of choosing products made sustainably with infinitely renewable mycelium over animal and synthetic-based materials’.
15th February 2021.