Biodegradable Shoes: Ambition of a Fashion Brand

Fashion brand KOKOLU has a bigger ambition: making not only sustainable but 100% biodegradable shoes.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA, April 15, 2021 EINPresswire.com -- Sustainability is no longer a new concept to the fashion industry. Although most people associate sustainable fashion with clothing and bags, the fashion brand KOKOLU has a much bigger ambition: making their shoes not only sustainable but 100% biodegradable.

FDRA defines shoe sustainability as the design, development, manufacturing, distribution, and selling processes that minimize negative environmental impacts, conserve energy and natural resources, are safe for employees, communities, and consumers, and are economically sound. The shoe industry as a whole contributes upwards of 700 million metric tons (MT) of CO2 equivalent emissions and it is now time for businesses in this industry to take responsibility and make major strides to protect the environment. The more environmentally conscious a brand is about each stage of the life cycle of a shoe, the more of an impact it can make.

Results from the FDRA's shoe sustainability benchmark survey show that 70% of the industry thinks sustainability is a priority. That is a 5% increase from 2019.  And 48% of industry companies are currently exploring programs to put in place, a 10% increase in the same period.

"We are fully aware of how the industry has affected the environment and that's why minimizing the negative ecological impact we have is and always has been our priority." said, Luanne, founder, and CEO of the brand. "However, for KOKOLU," she emphasized" "we don't just want to be a part of the trend, we always strive to do better and more.  We want to become a leading brand in our industries, in terms of sustainability." Working closely with SINOPEC New Material R&D Center, the brand has invested ambitiously in new material development to meet its higher standards of eco-consciousness. According to the released business plan, the company will launch its 100% biodegradable series of sneakers in early 2023.

As the environment has been a rising concern in the shoe industry, leading brands such as Nike and Adidas have all launched their own plans towards a more environmentally conscious growth model, for example, in 2019 Nike announced its "Move to Zero" campaign, setting itself the goal of reducing carbon emissions across its global supply chain by 30% by 2030 as their first step towards becoming a zero-carbon and zero-waste company. But unlike the industry magnates that bear high decision-making costs and risks, the ambition towards becoming carbon neutral and waste-free is more easily achieved by emerging brands like KOKOLU, as it is already a part of their DNA. "We set our goals sky high, and then we make down-to-earth efforts to make sure that our products are responsible to both our customers and our planet."

Made from 8 recycled post-consumer plastic bottles, the "ALL-IN" tote bag was the first 100% eco-friendly product that the brand launched in March of this year. "The technology and answers we need to achieve our goals are already here. We are researching and testing new materials and forging relationships with technology companies to update our current sneaker series to an even "greener" level. With all renewable, recycled, and recyclable materials, the new series will be originated from nature and integrated back into nature." The brand materials development officer said, "our next generation of KOKOLU sneakers are certified by FSC and PEFC, and will be 100% biodegradable."