Sizing Up Athletic Shoe Makers

page 3 of 3 | PREV 1 | 2 | 3 

ASICS

The Good
* Has used EVA foam since the 1950s

* Replaced the carcinogenic heavy metal chromium in leather treatment with less-harmful tannin

* Has instituted their EcoPet program, which collects and recycles synthetic school PE uniforms, in 500 schools

The Bad
* Does not make factory and supplier addresses available to consumers

BROOKS

The Good
* Recently introduced HPR Green, a silica-based, petroleum-free sole used in the Adrenaline ASR 4 and Cascadia 2 that reduces the amount of petroleum used in production by more than one pound for every 10 pairs

* Works with FLA's collegiate-licensing program

* Relies on production techniques that eliminate waste by 50 percent

The Bad
* Does not publish factory and supplier addresses online

NEW BALANCE

The Good
* The only athletic footwear company that maintains U.S. production factories

* Enforces a corporate policy that international footwear suppliers limit work weeks to 54 hours/week

* Uses 100-percent recycled materials in Dunham, Aravon and PF Flyers shoe-boxes

* All stuffing and tissue wrap made with 100-percent recycled materials

The Bad
* Criticized by Oxfam for its lack of transparency in labor policies

* Does not publish factory and supplier addresses online

The Next Step

Looking to help your old shoes cross over into the afterlife? Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program accepts any brand of athletic shoes, grinds them up and uses them to build tracks and tennis courts (www.nikereuseashoe.com). Other recycling programs include:

www.bridgingthegap.org
www.recycleworks.org
www.runtheplanet.com

PREV 1 | 2 | 3