Looking to lessen their environmental impact—and reel in the eco-conscious consumer—brands big and small have been steadily rolling out sustainable footwear.
Many, rightfully, are concentrating on shifting the materials they use to build the shoe. Twisted X, however, is choosing to center what it isn’t using.
The Twisted X Global Brands company unveiled its first line of no-glue shoes last week. The collection, three years in the making according to Twisted X, will include four “fashion-forward styles” for men and four for women, with full distribution scheduled for February.
“When we were challenged and told that we had to have a little glue on the footbed and shoe lining, we kept trying and worked to ensure this no-glue shoe means no glue, not even one drop,” Twisted X CEO Prasad Reddy said.
The Zero-X collection utilizes a proprietary interlocking, double-stitching system that eliminates 75 percent of the harsh environmental issues created with traditional footwear, the brand claimed. Twisted X pointed to the elimination of heating and cooling production energy and the lack of harsh chemical adhesives, scoring dust and debris as eco-forward benefits of its no-glue line.
“Sustainability is at the heart of our product innovation and creating a shoe with no glue enables us to bring to market a product that can make a difference in the world,” Reddy said. “We’re proud to be on the forefront of this initiative, removing such harmful processes from our factories and environment.”
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The “light and breathable” Zero-X collection will also feature ecoTWX uppers created from an average of 13 recycled plastic water bottles salvaged from oceans and landfills. Outsoles will consist of rice husk agricultural by-products and the shoes will sport bamboo laces. Furthermore, Twisted X said a tree will be planted with every pair sold.
The sustainable footwear market—projected to reach a combined value of $11.8 billion by 2027, according to a study conducted by Grand View Research—has seen several new entries in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, Los Angeles sneaker brand Clae, which has long used vegan materials in its collection, debuted its first pair of kicks made with cactus-based leather. The shoes—sold in white, black and green—are available for pre-sale on the brand’s website for $130.
Deckers Brand-owned Sanuk debuted the second iteration of its new eco-conscious SustainaSole collection. Made in partnership with footwear foam experts Blumaka, the shoes’ bottoms consist of 35 percent recycled foam content by weight and 75 percent by volume. Other sustainable features include undyed uppers made with 65 percent recycled cotton and 35 percent recycled PET, as well as 100 percent recycled polyester upper lining, woven label and sockliner lining.