Reebok is one of those shoe brands that some people may only choose if there are no Adidas or Nike shoes available. Most of the shoes in its lineup are great for running and we can consider most of them for their top performance. What we like most about Reebok is that it comes up with environmental shoes that are made from sustainable materials and that can be recyclable.
Aside from the Reebok Floatride Run Fast that was listed as part of the best shoes to run a marathon in right now, there’s also the Reebok and BBC ICECREAM sneaker collaboration we featured in October. And now, Reebok is introducing its first-ever plant-based shoes that can be used for running. Everything about this is “vegan”.
Officially called the Forever Floatride GROW, the pair is a product of the brand’s goal to reduce the usage of petroleum-based plastics in footwear production. The decision to use shoes with plants has grown slowly into an actual product we can see under the Cotton + Corn lifestyle collection.
Plant-based Shoes Made from All-Natural Materials
The Forever Floatride GROW is a plant-based pair of running shoes. It will be out in Fall 2020, It will resemble the Forever Floatride Energy but with updates and offers higher performance.
As described, the midsole is cushioned with material made from sustainably grown castor beans. The eucalyptus tree upper is naturally biodegradable, breathable, strong, and sustainably sourced.
The outsole is made from responsive natural while the sock liner uses a BLOOM algae foam. What’s good about the sockliner is that it is naturally odor-resistant—perfect against sweaty feet.
Challenging Development Resulted in High-Performance Running Shoes
Reebok Future’s Vice President Bill McInnis shared the company’s challenges with Forever Floatride GROW production. The idea of replacing oil-based plastic with plants is great but the biggest challenge was “developing plant-based materials that could meet the high-performance needs of runners”.
The all-vegan paid is a product of three years of research and development. The physical design may be easy but to meet the performance of the runners is difficult.
The result now is this “Plant-based performance – with no compromise,” according to the Reebok exec. The pair will be ready in Fall 2020. No word on pricing yet.
