Forget diamonds on the soles of your shoes! As if that sounds comfortable anyhow. While we might have to wait a while before Paul Simon is singing ‘recycled rubber on the soles your shoes,’ you’ll only have to wait until next year to be able to walk into a Payless ShoeSource store and pick up a pair. The discount shoe retailer will begin selling a line of ‘low impact’ shoes, made from organic cotton, linen, hemp, recycled rubber and biodegradable glues. The shoes will be cheap too, retailing for less than $30 (on average), available at select stores and on line at Payless.com. The move is the latest in a growing trend of footwear manufacturers and retailers offering environmentally considerate options and a further indication that mainstream businesses are responding to their customers’ concerns about the environment.
“The sustainability movement is pervasive today and is touching so many elements of consumers’ daily lives and they are interested in more and more green product options being available to them,” said Matt Rubel, CEO of Collective Brands, Inc., the parent company of Payless ShoeSource. “But green items are often expensive and inaccessible to so many,…we are in the best position and proud to bring forward a green footwear line that is affordable and accessible to all.”
We’ll be watching this space, as big players (like Nike and Converse) roll out their green footwear and accessories.
