reebok drops the first 'cotton + corn' shoe

global fitness brand reebok has dropped its first plant-based shoe — the ‘NPC UK cotton + corn.’ the model combines the vegetable, corn, with cotton as the key ingredients used in manufacturing. the design of the sneaker sees the upper comprised of organic cotton and the base from industrially grown corn (a non-food source).

all images courtesy of reebok

for this project, rebook partnered with dupont tate & lyle bio products, who developed susterra® propanediol. dupont tate & lyle bio products provided a ‘pure, petroleum-free, non-toxic, 100% USDA certified bio-based product, derived from field corn,‘ used to make the sole of the shoes. in addition, the color is comprised of undid materials with the packaging 100% recycled, and the insole made from castor bean oil.
 

the cotton + cotton project is part of reebok’s initiative to make shoes out of things that grow. according to bill mcinnis, head of reebok future, the ultimate goal is to ‘create a broad selection of bio-based footwear that can be composted after use. we’ll then use that compost as part of the soil to grow the materials for the next range of shoes. we want to take the entire cycle into account; to go from dust to dust.‘