Reebok unveils first product from "Cotton + Corn"

Global fitness brand Reebok has unveiled the first product from its “Cotton + Corn” sustainable products initiative, announced last year. The programme aims to produce footwear with “things that grow” to create sustainable products. The sneaker, the NPC UK Cotton + Corn, is constructed from an upper made of 100 per cent cotton, and a corn-based sole.

The shoe has insoles that are derived from castor bean oil and comes in packaging that is 100 per cent recycled.

“Most athletic footwear is made using petroleum to create synthetic rubber and foam cushioning systems,” said Bill McInnis, head of Reebok Future. “With 20 billion pairs of shoes made every year, this is not a sustainable way of making footwear. At Reebok, we thought ‘what if we start with materials that grow, and use plants rather than oil-based materials?’ By using sustainable resources as our foundation, and then through ongoing testing and development, we were able to create a plant-based sneaker that performs and feels like any other shoe.”

“The NPC UK Cotton + Corn is the only footwear product on the market that has been certified as containing 75 per cent USDA certified biobased content,” said McInnis.

For the Cotton + Corn initiative, Reebok partnered with DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, a manufacturer of high-performance biobased solutions.