<span style="color: #999999;">Reebok is committed to reducing virgin polyester from its material mix and eliminating it altogether by 2025.
The brand’s sustainability efforts are concentrated under two pillars—[REE]GROW, which focuses on creating products made from natural materials and [REE]CYCLED, which focuses on creating products using recycled or repurposed materials.
Toward that effort, today Reebok introduces the Forever Floatride GROW running shoe.
Building on the brand’s Cotton + Corn lifestyle footwear collection, and using the design of the Forever Floatride Energy, the shoe replaces petroleum-based components in favor of plant-based, sustainably sourced materials which include castor beans (for the midsole), eucalyptus trees (for the upper), BLOOM algae foam (for the sock liner), and rubber trees (for the outsole)*.
“With Forever Floatride GROW, we’re replacing oil-based plastic with plants. The biggest challenge in making a shoe like this was developing plant-based materials that could meet the high-performance needs of runners. During the three years we spent developing this product, we heard loud and clear that the idea of a plant-based running shoe resonates strongly with serious runners. But those same runners felt just as emphatically that they would never compromise on performance. The Forever Floatride GROW is the result. Plant-based performance – with no compromise.” —Bill McInnis, Vice President, Reebok Future
“The earth is a runner’s arena, and we have a responsibility to help detox the world for the athletes who run in it. Our Cotton + Corn collection was the first step in making shoes from things that grow. Now, we have taken an award-winning running shoe, the Forever Floatride Energy, and reinvented it using natural materials to create what we feel is the most sustainable performance running shoe on the market.” —Matt O’Toole, Reebok Brand President
*Reebok was unavailable to answer questions or provide additional information on the harvesting and manufacturing of the plant-based materials. Photos courtesy Reebok
