As the United Nations advocates for the use of renewable resources, most notably in the area of energy capacity by 2030 to limit global warming, footwear brands are doing their part to tackle how to take better care of the Earth’s ecosystems.
Coinciding with Climate Week NYC, an annual event organized by The Climate Group in partnership with the United Nations General Assembly, Under Armour on Thursday said it is adding to its collaboration with Unless via the introduction of three new regenerative sneaker styles. The first limited-edition Unless x Under Armour collaboration was introduced in April and featured a range of regenerative apparel.
Unless, founded in 2020, is the world’s first all-plant, zero-plastic regenerative fashion brand, with every piece designed to harmlessly return to the elements while leaving zero toxic chemicals or microplastics behind. Under Armour acquired the brand in August 2024 and Unless cofounder Eric Leidtke, a former Adidas Group executive, joined the sports apparel and footwear giant as its new executive vice president of brand strategy.
The new shoe collaboration is the first time Unless sneakers will be available through Under Armour. Entirely plastic-free, the collection is designed to safely return to the earth at the end of its life. The three options include the York Low street-style at $149; the Govy Mid-top sneaker at $159, and the Seaside Slip-on at $119. Like Unless apparel, the shoes are engineered to decompose and return to the earth at the end of their life.
“These aren’t just sneakers — they give back more than they take, embodying a new standard of innovation that works in harmony with nature,” Leidtke said. “At Under Armour, we’re proud to use our platform to accelerate meaningful change and spotlight products that are as responsible as they are high-performing.”
Aside from Under Armour, luxury sneaker brand Koio created a regenerative shoe called The Mello in 2023 that can be composted. The company’s website said the sneaker is 99 percent biodegradable, noting that every pair of its regenerative-leather footwear saves 43.75 pounds of carbon. The leathers are from regenerative farms in the Swiss Alps. Environmentally friendly Zeolite tanning is used as an alternative to chrome tanning, relying on minerals instead of chrome, aldehyde and heavy metals. The brand also uses an outsole sourced from hevea tree milk, a biodegradable insole made from plants such as corn and kenaf, and organic cotton laces.
Footwear firms have been eyeing greener options in the production of shoes for years. They include regenerative sugarcane for soles and using low-carbon materials such as vegetable tanned skins that would otherwise be thrown away.
Allbirds in 2018 introduced its technology using sugarcane to replace its petroleum-based EVA material for shoe soles. In 2023, Allbirds advanced that technology to create SuperLight Foam, a midsole that is 70 percent bio-based made with carbon-negative, sugarcane-derived Green EVA. The brand has also innovated on lightweight uppers. Its SuperLight Tree Runner uses lightweight and breathable uppers made with Tencel Lyocell using FSC-certified eucalyptus tree fiber. The material uses 95 percent less water than conventional cotton and has a carbon footprint that is one-third lower than virgin nylon. The shoe brand said then that it was working on Project Moonshot, the world’s first net-zero carbon shoe. The shoe, named Moonshot Zero, dropped earlier this year.
Plus, recovery shoe firm Kane Footwear also makes shoes using bio-based RestoreFoam from Brazilian sugarcane. As part of Project Renew, the Certified B Corp also takes back worn Kanes from customers for a discount on their next pair. Kane then upcycles the used shoes into Kane yoga and changing mats.
In addition, British performance footwear brand R.A.D. also uses sugarcane in its SwellFoam technology in the shoes’ midsoles. Company founder Ben Massey said R.A.D. is the acronym for Rally Against Destruction of the mind, body and planet, the internal company motto that encourages minimizing one’s impact on the environment. He said sugarcane absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it grows, thereby “reducing the need for fossil-based materials in production.”
Other sustainability options include vegan leather shoes. One example is Aera, a luxury footwear B Corp founded in 2019 by fashion industry veteran Tina Bhojwani. Aera shoes are made from non-animal ingredients, using as many eco-friendly materials as possible. The company’s goal is to create a shoe with zero environmental impact. Aera said on its company site that it is using a supplier that is the first to develop 100 percent solvent-free materials composed exclusively of water-based resins for shoe production.
The focus on sustainability isn’t likely to go away anytime soon. That’s because Gen Z and millennial consumers are leading the charge in awareness in eco-friendly fashion and footwear. In addition to vegan leather shoes, other sustainability options include a greater emphasis on product made with fair labor, as well as eco-friendly dyes for less water usage, and tree plantings and other components of regenerative farming.