Sustainability Week 2024
This article is part of a series of sustainability-themed articles we’re running to commemorate Earth Day 2024 and promote more sustainable practices. Check out all of our 2024 Sustainability Week content.
Recycled materials are becoming more common and better quality than ever, especially when it comes to outdoor and fitness technology. “Take only pictures, leave only footprints” is a good motto for outdoor travel, but when you consider the ethics of the kit you use, it’s difficult to get out and truly leave no trace.
The manufacturing process can be very resource-intensive for the planet. For example, even designing a new outdoor shoe requires multiple resources such as a power source, mechanical parts to model, and testing facilities, but it doesn’t take into account the material the shoe is made from or the amount that ends up in landfill.
But more and more companies are introducing truly sustainable technology in the fitness and outdoor space, from Casio’s ProTrek watch, made from biomass polymers, to Allbirds, which claims to be the most environmentally friendly shoe. Ultimately, we aim to make your adventure sustainable from start to finish. Brands that are there. But how successful are they? We’re taking a closer look at whether putting money into these environmentally focused options actually works as advertised.
Watches: Casio and Apple
A watch made from beans may sound like a joke, but Casio has made it a reality. The idea is to reduce the huge amount of plastic commonly used in watch manufacturing. Despite being an earth-friendly watch, this is still a candidate for the best running watch replacement.
Both the case and plastic of some of the company’s outdoor watches (Pro Trek PRG-340SC-5 and PRG-340SC-2 Climber models) are made using bioplastics. It’s unclear what the term consists of, but Casio says it comes from renewable organic materials such as castor oil derived from plants and beans.
One of the remaining challenges for watches is the use of lithium-ion batteries, which are a finite resource. However, these watches have solar charging, so they should technically last a lifetime. So even that isn’t as much of an issue as other watches.
Watch mechanisms will continue to use a lot of metal, as well as plastic and silicone, just like anything else. At least in this case, the rest of the watch is closer to being environmentally friendly than it would be if traditional plastic were used.
There are also manufacturing processes to consider, such as whether the watch is made in a carbon-neutral factory that uses renewable energy and how far around the world the watch is shipped before reaching the consumer. there is. There’s not much that can be done about shipping right now, but Casio hasn’t made any claims about carbon-neutral manufacturing as far as we know at the moment, but in 2021 it says it will reduce total emissions by 38% by 2031. I have a goal.
Meanwhile, Apple has said its latest watches are already officially carbon neutral, but has faced backlash over these claims. Carbon offsets allow companies to appear carbon neutral by planting a few trees, or simply pledging to plant trees someday, so that their carbon footprint is zero. It can be argued that. In fact, that’s not the case now.
Running shoes: Allbird and our recycling efforts
Allbirds is a shoe brand known for not only providing comfort, but also for putting sustainability at the forefront of its marketing. We are working towards our 2030 carbon neutrality goal primarily by reducing the amount of plastic used in our shoes and using renewable energy in our factories.
The materials used as an alternative to plastic include wool for the upper, Forest Stewardship Council wood for the material and sugarcane for the sole, which takes its name from Torino, which is made from trees and merino wool. It becomes. But what really stands out is the attention to detail, such as using a specific tree from Africa that grows only when it rains. In this way, the water required for renewal is also taken into account. Recycled nylon and plastic bottles are also used to complete the process.
There’s also the Mo.onshot shoe, which is the world’s first net-zero carbon shoe, according to AllTrails. All kidding aside, this shoe has a footprint of 0.0 kg CO2e, compared to an average shoe’s CO2e of around 14 kg.
To be clear, the company is leading the way in thinking, planning and implementing more carbon-focused production, but it’s not there yet. The company has reduced its carbon footprint by 12% from 2020 to 2021, and now as 2025 approaches, it is on track to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. It has been reduced by more than 60%.
Another option currently in the works could mean the opportunity to recycle most of today’s running shoes and their plastic. Independent companies and footwear recycling efforts include Soles4Souls in the US, which recycles lightly used running shoes, and his zero-waste company, which has partnered with ASICS to find ways to reuse running shoes. Examples include TerraCycle. In the UK, JogOn partnered with his 2024 London Marathon to help participants reuse and recycle their running shoes.
“Until now, the only option was to send ‘used’ shoes to a waste disposal facility,” JogOn founder Tony Piedad told TechRadar after a chance encounter at the London Marathon Running Show. told. “This prevents you from creating a hole in the ground, and at the same time you get some benefit from the exercise.”
But Piedade is working on something that could be a game-changer.
“I have been working for months on developing a first-of-its-kind shredding machine to take things to the next level.Early testing shows that the shredding machine includes rubber mat sheets from shredded materials. We can now produce a wide variety of products.”The shoe shredding process is estimated to leave more than 90% of the shoes usable. But this is just the beginning. ”
Electric transportation: switching from car to electric bike
In theory, the best electric bikes are the future of eco-friendly travel, especially in urban areas. They produce no emissions, have much smaller tires than cars (which often use petroleum to produce), and are easier to repair, requiring less material in the long run. Depending on your supplier, you can choose eco-friendly electricity to charge, helping people stay healthy while traveling.
So what’s the problem? Lithium ion battery. At the moment, almost all e-bikes use lithium batteries, similar to those used in smartphones and cars. This will put pressure on lithium mining and strain the finite resource. That said, these batteries are much smaller than electric car batteries, so they require less lithium to manufacture, but the manufacturing process still generates about 75% of an e-bike’s lifetime emissions. According to the European Cycling Federation, the carbon footprint of manufacturing an electric bike is 134 kg. Although expensive, it is much less than the 5.5 tons required to produce one hatchback car.
Basically, if you’re switching from a car to an electric bike, it’s a winner. But if you already ride a bike and want to make it easier with electrification, the environmental impact is not that big.
Looking specifically, e-bike energy consumption averages between 3.2 and 8 g/mile of CO2 emissions, depending on the power configuration. According to a Bosch sustainability report, cars emit approximately 240 g of CO2 per passenger mile, while public transport emits between 80 and 176 g of CO2 per passenger mile.
You may also need to consider the cost of replacing these batteries in the future. That being said, I’ve put 10,000 miles on my Van Moof electric bike and the battery is still going strong. However, there are some things to keep in mind. Having said that, even Van Moof, since being acquired by McLaren in September 2023, is now working to provide local workshops with the tools and knowledge to outsource maintenance for more local solutions. , has been working to become more sustainable.