Brooks launches biodegradable midsole
American designer of performance running footwear Brooks Sports, Inc., has unveiled what it claims to be “the world's first biodegradable midsole”, BioMoGo, which is said to offer all of the performance of the company’s MoGo technology but drastically reduce the environmental impact of the product.
Developed in response to the growing demand for environmentally-friendly footwear in the athletic industry the new midsole is said to biodegrade 50 times faster than conventional athletic shoes as a result of a non-toxic, natural additive that exponentially increases the rate of biodegradation by encouraging anaerobic microbes to alter nutrients into reusable byproducts.
According to the company, while traditional Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) midsoles can last up to 1,000 years in an enclosed landfill, tests have shown that BioMoGo can biodegrade in roughly 20 years when placed in the same environment, which equates to Brooks saving nearly 30 million pounds of landfill waste over a 20-year period. Furthermore, as the biodegradation requires the simultaneous occurrence of three environmental conditions — the absence of oxygen, the presence of many microbes, and the existence of moisture — it can only happen once a shoe has been thrown away and buried deep in an active enclosed landfill.
Commenting on the new product vice president of footwear research and development, Pete Humphrey, said "BioMoGo offers runners uncompromised performance and quality in their footwear while also reducing the impact shoes have on the planet."
In a gallant gesture, despite having invested a great deal in the research and development of this new product, Brooks is treating the technology as an "open source" innovation in the hope that other companies will also take the opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of their products. "We strongly believe that by sharing BioMoGo with other footwear companies, and other companies in general, this technology can make an even larger impact on the world we all share," said Jim Weber, president and CEO.
BioMoGo will be launched in the Trance 8 premium support shoe on July 1.
