Pants: Everlane | Shoes: Tread by Everlane (in butter)

*disclaimer: these shoes were gifted. I was not asked to dedicate a post to this launch, and all opinions are my own. this post contains affiliate links, so if you choose to purchase Tread Trainers through a link in this post I may earn a small commission*

Last semester I took an ethics course, and one of the topics we discussed on the very first day of class was Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). EPR is the idea that producers should be held responsible for the entire life of their product — including how the materials are sourced and produced, how it’s packaged, and what happens when a consumer decides they’re done with the product. As important as it is for individuals to work toward creating sustainable change, there’s unnecessary pressure for individuals to take responsibility for problems that are largely created by corporations and companies. Change on a macro level is just as important — if not more important — than individual action. The push for transparency during Fashion Revolution Week is inspired by the fact that brands have long avoided this responsibility.

I wouldn’t quite call myself a shoedog, but after working in the footwear industry last summer I did learn quite a bit about how much room there is for improvement in the industry (and just how difficult creating change actually is in this industry). When Everlane announced last week that they were releasing a low-impact sneaker with the goal of it eventually being zero impact, I was definitely intrigued. Yesterday I stopped by their LA popup for the launch of Tread, their low-impact, carbon neutral sneaker line. I wanted to share my thoughts on the design, materials, and impact of the shoe, as well as Everlane’s display of EPR.

Design

I never got into the whole super ugly, super chunky “dad sneaker” trend, and quite honestly don’t understand the idea of buying into shoe trends in general. Of all things, shoes are not meant to be throwaway products like a lot of other fashion staples have become, so I appreciate Everlane’s mindful approach to the design and color offerings of these shoes. Everlane displays EPR through design by creating sneakers that are built to last — both physically and aesthetically. Tread trainers are high-quality shoes through and through. They aren’t too trendy, but they aren’t ugly either. They come in a variety of muted colors, as well as classic colors like black and white. They have a slight twinge of dad sneaker vibes, but the style will still be wearable and cool for years to come. Though there does seem to be a debate about whether or not these sneakers are cute, I am a fan of the more subdued, classic design compared to the other sneaker offerings currently on the market.

One question I’ve gotten quite a bit already is whether they are comfortable. The shoes do run slightly small and are only available in whole sizes. Everlane recommends you size up, so I sized up from a 6.5 to a 7. They are super comfortable to walk around in, but since they are leather (and not canvas or a more flexible material like a lot of other sneakers) they are more stiff to begin with, and will likely break in with wear.

Materials

Everlane did an impressive job using recycled materials in their Trainer design. Traditional sneaker soles are made entirely out of plastic. Instead, Everlane used recycled and natural rubber. Not only is this sole more durable, but they kept 18,000 pounds of rubber out of landfills which is no small feat. After announcing they will eliminate all virgin plastic from their supply chain by 2021, Everlane kept this promise, even with a new product that traditionally uses a large amount of plastic. 94.2% of the plastic in these shoes is made from recycled plastic (and they have plans to move to 100%). The insoles and laces are made with 9.5 recycled plastic bottles, emitting 18% less carbon into the atmosphere.

There has already been quite a bit of discussion about whether or not leather is a sustainable or ethical material. I’ve talked before about how leather can be one of the most polluting materials in fashion. That being said, genuine leather will eventually biodegrade (compared to most vegan leathers which use inputs like polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which are carbon intensive and do not biodegrade). Everlane sources their leather from a tannery Saigon TanTec which received a Gold certification from the Leather Working Group. This tannery uses 42% less electricity, uses 56% less water, and produces 20% fewer greenhouse gasses than traditional tanneries. In choosing to use leather as a core material in their design, Everlane has done their due-diligence in choosing to partner with the right tannery.

There also is an ethical argument. In my few days of deep diving into research, I haven’t been able to find conclusive evidence as to whether real leather is reducing waste from the meat industry or creating waste in the form of meat. Clearly there is an ethical problem if animals are being killed purely for their skin, but using leather — a byproduct of the meat industry — as a material is definitely less wasteful than throwing away all of that material, only to use other resources to create something vegan.

I am no expert, but in my opinion, buying leather secondhand is always the best option. Responsibly sourced, real leather (that is handled in responsible tanneries and factories) is the next best option, and last would be traditional faux leather. There also is a lot of room for innovation in the sustainable, vegan leather space. Cool inventions like Piñatex made from pineapple leaf fibers is one such example, but a lot of work remains to be done in terms of creating a vegan leather that is both good for the environment and scalable.

If this topic interests you, here are some great sources that talk about the impact of vegan leather vs. the impact of real leather:

• “Is ‘Vegan’ Leather a Sustainable Alternative To Animal Leather?” via ABC (presents a very balanced argument)
• “Are Vegan Shoes Bad For The Environment?” via Beyond Skin (main argument: vegan leather is better)
• “How Guilty Should You Feel About Wearing Leather?” via The Cut (main argument: animal leather is better)
• Saigon TanTec tannery’s website 

Impact

Everlane’s goal with Tread is to create the world’s lowest-impact sneakers (and eventually make them zero impact). As you’ve already read, Everlane actually has done quite a bit to reduce the impact of Tread. What I admire most about this launch is Everlane’s adoption of Extended Producer Responsibility principles. Everlane hired an external firm to perform a full life-cycle assessment of the footprint of their Tread design through every step in production — all the way back to the impact of growing food for the cattle!!! As Everlane moves toward an even lower impact design and production process, they are offsetting the current emissions through a partnership with NativeEnergy. NativeEnergy is a certified B Corp and works with well-respected companies like Ben & Jerrys, LUSH, and Eileen Fisher. Everlane’s offsets through Native Energy focus on supporting ranchers to improve cattle-grazing practices on American grasslands. This leads to better soil health, cleaner waterways, and greater carbon sequestration into the soil. Through these initiatives, Everlane has displayed a commitment to owning the environmental impacts of these shoes all throughout their supply chain.

Everlane does, however, walk a fine line between educating their consumers on the impact of this design and greenwashing their environmental initiatives. I will be curious to see the tone Everlane adopts when responding to questions about Tread’s impact on social media and in their brand marketing. Though I hope the tone will air on the educational side by discussing the pros and cons of what they are currently doing, there is a big opportunity for Everlane to fall into greenwashing tendencies.

Final Thoughts

Tread is nowhere near perfect — but Everlane hasn’t said they’re perfect. I’ve been talking a lot about the idea of progress over perfection on my Instagram (peep this post and this post), and I love that Everlane isn’t afraid to start somewhere and slowly work toward an even lower-impact design. A phrase they’ve been using a lot in their marketing is “the only path is forward”, and this could not be more applicable to sustainability in the fashion industry, your personal sustainable lifestyle habits, and just life in general. In terms of progress, Everlane has made quite a jump with Tread trainers. The footwear industry is an incredibly wasteful industry, and while there is still a lot of room for improvement, I do believe this is a big step in the right direction.