Photo Source: END Footwear
END Footwear symbolizes the beginning of a new generation of environmentally conscious shoe manufacturers. They go to the extreme to ensure that their products meet the demands of sustainability. The symbol of END was developed as a vision of a line being drawn in the sand between the old way of manufacturing shoes and the new sustainable way, and bringing and END to the old way: “Our name is our promise to work everyday on designing & manufacturing world-class footwear whose environmental impact is lessened and lessened every season.”
END offers a couple different styles of men’s and women’s running shoes appropriate for ‘road’, ‘trail’, and ‘water’. In all shapes and styles, END stays true to their environmental sustainability commitment. All END shoes are made from 100 % post-consumer waste. But how do they do it?
END keeps their shoes oh-so-environmental by using rice based glues, soy based inks, 100 % certified recycled PET for the laces and webbing, and a 25 % Bamboo infused collar and tongue lining, to name just a few. All of these materials lead to END Footwear being some of the lightest to ever grace the market. The running shoes weigh in at only 9.3 ounces, making exercise less of a strain on the body and the environment.
Photo Source: Souls4Souls
But END goes beyond sustainable shoes to give back to their community and others around the world. They have teamed up with the NGO Souls4Souls to hold shoe drives, and have donated over 400 shoes to children in the developing world who do not have any shoes of their own. END is also devoted to the four R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Responsibility. END sees their commitment to corporate responsibility and transparency as one of the most important aspects of running a corporation successfully.
Check out their styles. Everyone deserves a lighter run and with so many unsustainable shoes out there that can never be used again, END products are a refreshing choice for the environmentally conscious consumer.
END’s goal is to eventually manufacture shoes that are compostable (e.g. biodegradable), and they have hired one of the best teams in the world to achieve this goal. For now though, they are pretty darn close to being the most eco-running shoe we have ever seen.
For more information, see END’s website as well as the recent post by TreeHugger focused on END.
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