SCARPA said five new models of trail runners and light hikers from its Spring 2010 collection embody the footwear brand’s new 'SCARPA Planet Friendly' initiative, a commitment to sourcing and employing recycled content materials and finding other ways – such as midsoles that biodegrade in landfills – to lessen its carbon footprint.

The new 'Planet Friendly' initiative for Spring 2010 not only marks SCARPA’s most comprehensive effort at building footwear using recycled and biodegradable technology, it also marks the beginning of an effort to let consumers know what it is doing to try to use less, and what it is doing to make materials purchases count in terms of supporting lower-impact technology. Five new shoes, the Pursuit and Pursuit GTX (trail runners), the Epic (hiking/approach shoe built on a trail runner chassis) and the Moraine and Moraine GTX (light hikers), incorporate the following ‘Planet Friendly’ materials choices.

• Midsoles use EcoPure, an additive that helps the EVA break down in roughly 20 years under landfill conditions versus more than 1,000 years for normal EVA
• 100 percent recycled webbing and lace
• 100 percent recycled lining; 70 percent recycled strobel
• 40 percent recycled synthetic leather
• 29 percent recycled polyester mesh
• 25 percent recycled rubber outside

Moving forward, the SCARPA Eco ski boot program, telemark and alpine-touring boots made from Pebax Rnew, a version of the Pebax plastic that is made 90 percent from oil derived from the castor plant instead of petroleum-based oil, will also fall under the SCARPA Planet Friendly designation. Pebax Rnew is the same material as Pebax, with the same high-end performance characteristics, except that it requires 29 percent less fossil fuel and puts out 32 percent fewer emissions in the process taking Rnew from raw to useable material.

“Sourcing new technologies that help us lessen our impact is an ongoing process, and the Planet Friendly initiative is about letting our customers know in very specific terms how we’re trying to incorporate these emerging technologies into our line, not about 'another green story' or about congratulating ourselves,” said SCARPA North America CEO Kim Miller. “SCARPA Planet Friendly is a continuous effort to reduce our impact on the environment. If we do our job right, we’ll help drive demand for better and better technologies that help us continue to lessen our footprint.”