Simple® Makes “Shoes for a Happy Planet”™

Has it ever occurred to us that we, the consumer, purchase 2.3 million pairs of shoes everyday? Yes, that’s about 4.6 million pieces (the left and the right) of shoes everyday. Those are the ones being bought and millions more remain in store shelves and stock rooms which are then again replenished continuously.

It’s almost unfathomable to think how much resources the shoe industry alone uses-up in order to keep up with that big of a demand. For “Shoes!” Think about the amount of raw materials and energy used for production and add to that the transport fuel required to distribute them.

One shoe company that cares, Simple®, operates with sustainable business practices through the use of renewable resources. Let’s count the ways on how they do it.

Sustainable Business Practices

1. Recycled plastic bottles are collected to create PET (Polyethylene Terepthalate). While that word is very difficult to say, Simple® simply shreds PETs, presses them into sheets, and cuts them into super squishy pedbeds where the foot sits on. It’s like “walking on tofu.” Incidentally PET is also used to make the fabric.
2. Cork is renewable and antimicrobial. Taken from the cork tree, it’s grounded into tiny bits and combined with latex (a natural rubber) using water based glue to form another type of pedbed. It has great cushioning, resilient and bounces back from a compressed state.
3. Recycled Car Tires are used for outsoles. About 6 men’s size 9 outsoles can be made out of a single tire.
4. Natural rubbers, like Crepe, are 100% biodegradable. It provides great traction and a lot squishy comfort for the sole.
5. Jute, a very abundant shrub grown in Asia, are used to create very strong fibers and shoe laces. It is the most environment friendly fiber since it’s 100% biodegradable and can be recycled many times over.
6. Natural fabric spun from the fibers of Bamboo are used for the Green Toe Collection of Simple® Shoes. Bamboo grows wildly fast in a lot of areas in the world making it a virtually endless resource. To add ingenuity, they mixed charcoal into the bamboo fabric to naturally inhibit odor.
7. 100% post-consumer recycled paper for shoe boxes. Using recycled materials saves on energy since more energy is needed to create packaging from virgin materials. One can use their boxes as pots for plants. Sunken to the ground the roots can grow out of the box which soon dissolves.

In just 2 years, this shoe company has more “green accomplishments“ than any other company I’ve seen. Proving that it’s possible for businesses to create remarkable products, satisfy customers, be environmentally responsible, establish a brand, and rake in profits.