THE ECO-FRIENDLY TRAINERS

These trainers from Footglove Earth are proof that fashion can be sustainable, says environmental expert Lucy Siegle

OK, so they look ever so fashionably understated, but these new trainers from Footglove Earth are a giant step forward for evolutionary design. Say what? Yes, a grandiose claim for a shoe that appears so simple, but hear me out. Shoes are complex bits of kit, made up of multiple discrete parts (normally plastic and leather from standard, impactful supply chains). So the key to turning footwear green is to build them from innovative eco-materials. Step forward M&S. It’s managed to make 50 per cent of the materials in these trainers sustainable or recycled, which means one whole shoe is completely green. My favourite ingredient? Double rice rubber. Seven hundred million tons of rice is harvested worldwide every year, but nobody had a use for the waste rice husks – until now. Processed into a durable rubber, they make the perfect shoe sole – and mean it’s pretty easy to walk the eco-friendly talk.
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