Sole To Put Its Best Sustainability Foot Forward At The Winter Or Snow Show

Orthopedic footwear specialists SOLE are set to begin a new chapter in their sustainable, supportive footwear story with the launch of their FW19 ‘Eco’ Collections, designed sustainable from tongue to tread, at the 2019 Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver, January 30 – February 1 at the SOLE booth #46105-UL.

SOLE’s FW19 range includes 12 fresh footwear styles that prioritize sustainability without compromise. While all 12 styles include environmentally-friendly components, six boast SOLE’s new ‘Eco’ tag, indicating that every aspect of the shoe has been considered and designed using recycled, sustainable or ethically-sourced materials. While maintaining the supportive comfort central to the brand, SOLE is making a commitment to its customers to prioritize sustainability without compromising on quality, because it’s the right thing to do. The company aims to blaze a trail for an industry that doesn’t do enough to minimize its environmental impact.

At the heart of the FW19 line is SOLE’s proprietary new ReCORKTM  recycled cork midsole made from natural wine corks collected through SOLE’s cork recycling initiative ReCORK. As North America’s largest cork recycling network, ReCORK has collected and repurposed more than 91 million natural wine corks. Working with this resource, SOLE’s scientists spent hundreds of hours developing the right formula to combine the incredible sustainability and natural beauty of ground cork with the flexibility and cushioning of EVA providing industry-leading underfoot comfort. The result is an entirely biodegradable, sustainable, comfortable and beautiful component that stands out from the crowd.

The FW19 line’s insoles feature SOLE’s signature orthopedic shape and natural cork topsheets. They use algae-based Bloom Foam to partially replace petroleum-based materials. Using Bloom Foam as an alternative to EVA reduces the environmental impact of the footbed while its manufacturing removes harmful algal blooms from natural waterways.

The natural rubber and rice rubber outsoles are made to endure any adventure, while being gentle on the planet. Natural rubber requires far less energy and petrochemical input to produce than synthetic rubbers, and rubber tree plantations continually suck carbon from the atmosphere for the duration of their 30-year productive lifespan. Rice rubber adds rice husks to the mix, making the most of an abundant natural material that would otherwise become waste in landfills as a by-product of the rice industry, and adding durability to increase the outsole’s lifespan.

The same combination of ReCORK recycled cork midsoles, Bloom Foam insoles and natural/rice rubber outsoles are featured across the board for SOLE’s FW19 line. It’s in the choice of materials used for the collections differ.

All FW19 Eco styles include a patented knit Australian merino wool upper that is breathable, moisture wicking, soft and durable. Made from ethically-sourced, natural and sustainable fibres, it’s as comfortable worn with or without socks, and will keep its ever-fresh feel throughout its long lifespan. When that lifespan ends, it’ll biodegrade, returning valuable nutrients to the soil instead of the harmful microplastic pollution produced by synthetics.

• The Jasper Wool Eco Chukka has already received attention and was selected as a finalist in the Outdoor Retailer Innovation Awards in November. To add to the shoe’s list of sustainable credentials, SOLE has partnered with United by Blue to use B100™ bison insulation in the baffled merino upper. B100 utilizes natural, sustainable hollow-fibre bison hair that would otherwise be sent to landfills as a waste product of the leather industry. It’s the perfect addition to round off the Jasper Wool Eco collection, available in both the chukka and a slip-on.
• The Pemberton Wool Eco collection boasts the same tongue-to-tread sustainability in four styles: a lace-up sneaker, a slip-on, a chukka and a women’s mid.
• The Jasper collection offers a vegan version of the baffled chukka and slip-on, with synthetic uppers and insulation.
• The Pender collection offers the classic style of chromium-free leather uppers. This collection also includes four styles: a leather lace-up, a slip-on, a chukka and a women’s mid.

SOLE’s FW19 line will also include best-selling sandals carried over from their SS19 line, for the benefit of the warmer states.

MSRP on SOLE’s revolutionary new range will start from USD$99/CAD$129.

While footwear is an exciting new venture for the company, SOLE hasn’t lost touch with its core customers’ need for their best-established and award-winning product line, their signature shaped aftermarket heat/wear moldable customizable footbeds which give your unique feet dynamic support where they need it most.

For FW19 the brand will expand on its footbed inventory with four new lines designed to meet specific foot health requirements. The new footbeds come in the recycled cork construction of the Performance collection and the super-durable and fan-favorite EVA construction of the Active line.

The Performance Wide and Active Wide footbeds provide all the regular support of SOLE’s signature custom-moldable footbeds, now with a wider toe-box to fit natural-splay and wide shoes for increased comfort and balance. MSRP is USD$49/CAD$55 for Active Wide and USD$59/CAD$65 for Performance Wide.

The Performance with Met Pad and Active with Met Pad footbeds feature SOLE’s signature shape with a metatarsal pad to support the natural resting position of the foot’s bones. This promotes comfort and circulation while reducing stress on the forefoot and the associated risk of injury. MSRP is USD$49/CAD$55 for Active with met Pad and USD$59/CAD$65 for Performance with Met Pad.

$1 from every pair of Performance footbeds sold goes toward planet-protecting initiatives and charity organizations.

As always, all SOLE footwear and footbeds come coated with Polygiene anti-odor technology to keep feet fresh through any activity.