Footwear Insight

By Emily Walzer W ith a slew of new legislation being enforced banning sales of footwear made with toxic chemicals, and pressure building for businesses to meet their ambitious sustainability goals, corporate eco-forward initiatives will be top of mind across the footwear industry in the year ahead. To keep pace with new demands, brands and material suppliers alike are focusing on design and development of footwear with a lighter environmental impact. According to Accenture's Accelerating Global Companies toward Net Zero by 2050 report, many companies are not on track to meet net zero goals by 2050 and need to accelerate. The report concludes that "reaching net zero will require urgent and profound transformations, as it is about embedding sustainability into everything organizations do, redefining their purpose, culture and business models." Companies have made strides in sustain- able solutions in footwear for years, however, the race to mitigate PFAS in shoes (and sogoods) is one challenge that is heating up significantly as more laws regarding PFAS have gone into effect across the nation. Just last month California and New York passed legislation, effective January 1, 2025, restricting the use of PFAS in athletic foot- wear and other textiles. According to Safer States, a national alliance of environmental health organizations, at least 36 states are considering more than 450 bills on toxic chemical-related policies. Approximately a dozen states have already outlawed products with PFAS. 14 • Footwear Insight ~ January/February 2025 footwearinsight.com Top of Mind in '25 Above, left: Topo Athletic shoe with StormST plant-based waterproof performance. Above, right: Arc'teryx Norvan LD 3 lightweight trail shoe. XERO Shoes women's Scrambler II mid hiker with StormST technology. Material Innovation New Regulations & Tech Advancements Drive Sustainability Efforts.

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