Fashion for Good has launched The Next Stride: Bio-Based Materials for Footwear Soles, a 12-month initiative to reshape the $400 billion footwear industry by rethinking the shoe sole, one of its most impactful components. In collaboration with adidas, Target, Zalando, and innovators including Algenesis Labs, Balena, Evoco, KUORI, and Yulex, the project will test and validate bio-based polymers as high-performance alternatives to fossil fuel–derived materials.
The sole, accounting for nearly 40% of a shoe’s mass, is primarily made of fossil fuel–based polymers like PU, TPU, EVA, and rubber. These contribute significantly to carbon emissions and microplastic pollution, with recycling options at scale still limited. A single synthetic running shoe produces around 14 kg CO₂, mostly from material processing and manufacturing. Abrasion from synthetic soles further accelerates microplastic release into the environment.
By targeting this critical element, The Next Stride aims to accelerate circularity and lower environmental impact through scalable bio-based innovations. Prototypes will be rigorously tested with SATRA for both performance and sustainability, forming the basis for large-scale adoption strategies that address impact accounting, raw material sourcing, end-of-use solutions, and infrastructure.
Katrin Ley, Managing Director at Fashion for Good, said: “The Next Stride is a critical, collaborative intervention to de-risk the widespread adoption of high-performance bio-based alternatives for footwear soles. By transforming the very foundation of the shoe, we address the most impactful component in its lifecycle and open the door to systemic change in the footwear industry.”
Gudrun Messias, Director of Sustainability Direction at adidas, stated: “For adidas, sustainability and performance go hand in hand. Through The Next Stride, we will work with innovators to explore if bio-based materials can potentially lower the environmental impact of footwear soles while at the same time meeting or even enhancing the high-performance standards our athletes and consumers expect from adidas products.”
Pascal Brun, VP Sustainability and D&I at Zalando, added: “As we have recently confirmed in our sustainability attitude-behaviour gap report, It Takes Many, consumers aspire for more sustainable choices. We believe innovation in materials is key to meeting that demand. The Next Stride brings together the right partners to reimagine the sole, the foundation of every shoe, and set new benchmarks for the industry.”
