The World's Newest Football Shoes: Sustainability

Sustainability in football shoes has emerged as a significant and welcome trend, reflecting the growing awareness and responsibility within the sporting goods industry. According to research, the production of 1 pair of shoes comes with the emission of around 450 grams or 1 lbs of carbon dioxide, there is room for improvement therefore! As environmental concerns gain prominence globally, manufacturers are reevaluating their practices to create football footwear that minimizes ecological impact while maintaining high-performance standards.

Nike, Adidas and Puma: Efforts of the big brands
One of the primary focuses of sustainability in football shoes is the choice of materials. Traditional football boots often relied heavily on (synthetic) materials that had a big environmental footprint. Think of the Adidas’ Copa Mundial boots which are made out of leather, or what about Nike’s Mercurials which were made out of polyester and plastic which are not good for the environment.  In response, brands are increasingly turning to eco-friendly alternatives such as recycled polyester, organic cotton, and plant-based materials. These sustainable choices aim to reduce the reliance on non-renewable resources and minimize the environmental harm associated with production processes.Take Adidas as an example, the company is collaborating with Parley, a non-profit organization that protects the oceans. Together with Parley, Adidas released a Adidas-Parley football boots pack, which consists of the Copa, Predator and X model but they are now made out of recycled polyester for 50% and recycled plastic for the other 50%. Puma is getting rid of kangaroo leather, the most popular leather for football shoes and also the leather they used to use as input for their most famous football shoe model: KING. The firm has now made the complete switch to non-animal leather. Nike also made the switch to sustainable leather and also fully modified one of it’s legendary models, the Tiempo. Or take the Nike GS model as an example, made out of beans and recycled plastic.

Diego Maradona on the Puma KING

Upcoming brands: Sokito
Major players and established brands are changing, but new companies are arriving that think this switch to sustainability can be done more quick. Sokito is one of them, using scrap nylon and recycled plastic, rubber and paper alongside of Pebax, a material made out of beans. Sokito goes beyond the conventional by exploring alternative materials that leave a lighter ecological footprint. Additionally to the use of sustainable materials, Sokito started a boot recycling program, the first in the world. Over 12 million pairs of football shoes get thrown away every year in the United States and Europe and one pair can take a 1000 years to decompose.  With its recycle scheme, the boots get transferred to Italy, where they are separated into small materials. From there on, the materials can be used again for the production of other football boots, or for the construction of playgrounds or running tracks. Being this sustainable, Sokito allows players to align with their values and morals. Check Sokito’s website for more information! It seems a matter of time before more ecological brands will enter the football boots market and challenge the big players of nowadays football world. A great development if you ask us, all together for a better environment! Make sure you buy football shoes that are produced sustainably.