END Tries For A Recycled Content, Sustainable Sneaker

This is a good start but a little google search on the company exposed what appears to be some greenwashing. check out an article at:

http://www.lakeoswegoreview.com/sustainable/story.php?story_id=121607469686454900

this does a little more research into the company and their "sustainability"

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Seth I had seen that article but I didn't really know if the greenwashing label was justified. Why was it justified to you?

I think it is justified due to the fact that their co-founder Andrew Estey admits that they have no idea of the amount of material that goes into these shoes nor does he have an estimate of their carbon footprint.

Another thing that does it for me is how Estey uses the word sustainable. here is a quote from the article:
"Pressed for specific sustainable features of the shoes, Estey points to their design. The shoes use fewer, simpler components, he says, reducing their overall impact on the planet. “We’ve created a product that is simplified,” he says. “That is how we define sustainability.”

I dont like how they redefine sustainability. just because a product is simple does not make it sustainable.

I do think they are on a good start for sustainable footwear with their use of recycled material but i think they have a ways to go before they can truly call themselves sustainable.

just my thoughts

This is a classic case of the devil being in the details - they need to be totally transparent on their supply chain.

If they dont know where the rubber comes from, that isnt good enough, if they have to use solvents, they should make it clear. A name like Environmentally Neutral Design is a big declaration, and one that will easily be rubbished by small problems.

I dont know if its greenwashing per se, but they will need to be much clearer about these small details if they are to be able to survive as a 'sustainable/green' brand.

I think their argument for working in China holds water, and at least it is clear enough for people to make a decision about it, but when things become obscure, or there is no clear audit trail, you have problems.

Is this company owned by Nike? If so I won't buy from them, it if is a independent company i would buy their products. To buy sustainable things it must be from a company who acts in a sustainable way. Like the produts that arent tested on animals but whose partent company has a policy to test many of its other products on animals.

author replies-----
No, not owned by Nike.

RESPONSE FROM END CO-FOUNDER

To Treehugger Nation:

My name is Ben and I am one of the co-founders of END. Along with my partner, Andrew, we are flattered by all of the attention given to END and certainly expect some controversy about our approach. Let’s start with what is sustainable when it comes to footwear? We all know the classic definition, but the reality is that there ain't much if any options in the market today for running footwear that really addresses sustainability, let alone an entire lineup (which is the END approach). At END, we were tired of waiting.

Since day one, we have talked about END being a journey; a starting point and we know season one is not 100% sustainable. Unfortunately, today’s manufacturing process and the available materials are not available to make a 100% sustainable trail or street running shoe that will perform just as good if not better than what is considered "high performance."

We chose to start the push now, to go out and create the first high performance shoe for athletes that incorporate intelligent, sustainable attributes. We know the casual-and lifestyle-consumer have many options in sustainable footwear however athletes unfortunately have none.

Sustainability is serious business to all of us. We are creating a product that everyone should have access to, not just those who can afford them. We continually question each step of our approach and encourage everyone to participate in that process. At END, we are creating a new kind of footwear and expect questions along the way. In fact, keep ‘em coming. We will continue to be transparent and authentic and have more to share with you when our new web site launches along with products in August. Call us on it if you feel we are not acting in a transparent way. END wants to know where we need to improve and we welcome feedback as we see the fight to reach 100% sustainable a “we” issue, not just an END issue. Due to the fact we all live in Portland, we have all developed pretty sensitive BS detectors when it comes to “greenwashing.” END understands greenwashing and the damage it does wants no part of it.

END is a start up, we are fighting for resources, shelf space, attention just like you would expect at a new brand. We are a small band of brothers and sisters who have come together with one purpose in mind, to give athletes a sustainable, high performance option. WE ARE INDEPENDENT and not owned by Nike or any other shoe company and don’t have the resources they have at their disposal. We are founded by a group of ex-Nike, Mountain Hardwear and Montrail employees who felt the industry was not moving fast enough on sustainable footwear and want to leverage our brain power and passion to get advancements underway rather than stand around debating what is and what is not sustainable.
We humbly ask for open minds and understanding in that as a start up we could not totally begin to measure our products "carbon footprint" until we actually got production underway (which is happening right now). We have ASKED the International MBA program from PSU (Portland State University) in to evaluate our footprint. Their study is happening in two phases and we are as excited to learn what we are doing well and not so well when they publish the initial report. We want academia to help us in this area with their deep research resources and it is why we sought out PSU for help and have given them full access. The seven of us at END get up each morning with the mission of figuring out how to make our products and our company more sustainable, it is our passion. As we are chasing this sustainability dragon down, let's keep the dialogue going, feel free to drop me a line anytime at ben@ENDoutdoor.com.

Forgot to add these to my posting...three other links to some product reviews by serious running athletes as well as another one about the sustainability debate. Finally, the Treehugger.com interview I did a few months ago that goes pretty deep on a number of areas. Anyway, thought you all might enjoy.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/end-outdoor-greener-footwear-for-the_long-run.php

http://blog.irunfar.com/2008/07/end-beginning-of-sustainable-footwear.html

http://blog.irunfar.com/2008/07/end-stumptown-12-oz-review.html

why we need shoeboxes?: for shipping, to make sure the items arrive in good shape and to optimize storage and distribution...try stacking 100000 shoes without any boxes.-