Covestro’s partnership with textile technology company, Huafeng, and green fiber technology company, Cyclone, has produced promising results. Covestro, a German manufacturer of high-quality polymer materials, has recently announced an innovative solution to producing sustainable running and sports shoes. These new durable shoes utilize Cyclone’s recycled polyester yarns, Huafeng's HAPTIC technology, and Covestro’s polyurethane dispersion made from bio-based raw materials. 

A single shoe accounts for only 230 grams of carbon dioxide in greenhouse gas emissions, which is less than a pair of shoes made from conventional fossil-based polyurethane dispersions and virgin polyester fabric. Covestro emphasized that these sustainable shoes were not compromised in any aspect of their design. They are just as durable, comfortable, and fashionable than their unsustainable counterparts. Created to facilitate a healthy, active lifestyle for those who are concerned with environmental conservation, these shoes point to a much more sustainable future in the shoe industry. 

Sneakers contribute to substantial waste every year, accounting for 1.4% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. A startling figure when you compare it to the global emissions of the air travel industry, which stands at 2.5%. Sneakers are also notorious for its wastage, as many low-quality sneakers with short lifespans end up in landfills. In America alone, 300 million pairs of shoes are sent to landfills annually. A shoe that is able to reduce the global greenhouse gas emissions of the industry, and are durable enough to provide years of use, will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the industry. 

This successful collaboration is likely to precipitate more partnerships in both the shoe and wider textile industry, a promising prospect for future innovations.