Payless To Launch Green Footwear With Zoe & Zac and Summer Rayne Oakes

Nice idea, but where will they be made? If they're coming from China with it's horrible pollution and farther shipping distance, how is this ecological?

It's great that there is now a green option being introduced into many stores.

I hope they'll extend this to their kids line. Since kids shoes seem impossible to buy in a sustainable way... they get destroyed and they immediately grow out of them... it's harder to stomach the $50 "green" shoe over the $20 shoe at Payless for a growing child...

I agree with the made in China question -- I can't imagine that they'd be made anywhere BUT China, given the low price. I think that every effort does count, but there's a consequence to the low price and that's a big part of the issue of sustainability. What about the sustainability of the people who make these shoes?

Thanks for the question. I am checking with Payless and will let you know as soon as I hear back from them regarding where the shoes are made.
Thanks,
Emma

Don't get me wrong, greenwashing ticks me off, but I think Payless is trying here, so let's give some credit. It's a start, and that's we need. Then as consumers, we need to keep demanding higher standards (i.e. made in America, etc.). If we take an all or nothing attitude right away, companies may be discouraged from even trying. Plus, most consumers truly do not want to pay the price. The price must go up gradually as well. Hopefully over time sustainable products will cost less, but that's not reality right now.

Summer Rayne Oakes:

Yes, the zoe & zac line will be manufacturing in China, which I know can be a slippery slope for so many; I think what many people don't realize is that 9 out of 10 shoes—from high-end, expensive brands to mass consumer brands – come from China. China has evolved as the main manufacturing center for footwear because the facilities are vertically integrated from a local raw materials and component perspective and can handle high volumes. China also has a heavy investment from Taiwan driving a strong, skilled and experienced labor force in shoemaking.

As you know, one of the goals of the environmental movement is to move green products, services and knowledge into the mainstream marketplace and mindset. With zoe & zac, Payless is working hard to introduce a mass green brand that is accessible (initially in 500 stores & online, likely moving to 1,000 stores) and affordable (under $30) in an area where one doesn’t exist, so that means there is the potential for a lot of progress and positive influence on both the retailer and manufacturer front.

We all know that there are issues in manufacturing in China (and other places too) and Payless has a history of actively addressing them. Payless first launched its Social Compliance Policy in the early '90s as a leading company along with the Footwear Distributors and Retailers Association, one of two of the U.S. footwear industry's main trade associations. The company has close relationships with its Chinese manufacturing partners, who must adhere to this policy or lose Payless' business. Through this arrangement, Payless continually pushes China to do better. For example, about five years ago, the company implemented a wholesale change among its core factories to eliminate the use of solvent-based glues and shift to water-based glues. And it continually monitors its factories – for social compliance, environmental and a range of areas -- with core factories receiving four audits (three announced/one unannounced) a year conducted by Payless
teams, as well as independent leaders like Intertek Testing Service, a third-party auditor that is well-known in the auditing, product-testing and lab testing arena.

In regards to the carbon footprint, you can imagine that Payless, (which has been around for over five decades), has a highly efficient supply chain and has been able to maximize cost-efficiency and minimize transportation. It’s a great example of how 'green' is not necessarily higher-priced, but efficient and cost-effective.

Another unique feature of the zoe & zac products that we are aiming for is that they are fashion-first green products, meaning the styles will be refreshed seasonally and reflect the latest trends and details, but still be made of green components. That means zoe & zac products will be coming from China about 3-4 times per year via boat (as opposed to air freight). Payless' supply chain operation utilizes several key factors to shave out costs and reduce the impact on the environment such as "box optimization," where literally the same style of shoe in different sizes has different size box. This reduces the air – wasted space – that is literally shipped. Not everybody takes that kind of step, but it’s worthwhile for efficiency and use of less fuel. Payless has nearly 4,500 stores in the U.S. and has a sophisticated distribution model; it just shifted from a single distribution center to a dual one, with new centers near the coasts (Brookville,
Ohio and Redlands, California), which is where the majority of Payless stores are located. Products used to come into the coasts, then trucked to the single distribution center in Topeka Kansas (the center of the nation), pooled up for each store, then back out, via truck to the coasts. Now, with the dual centers, the products enter the states via the coasts, are trucked to the centers, now located near the coasts, pooled and trucked back out to stores, using far less fuel. This is pretty cool. It's also pretty green, but it's something they've already been doing as part of their practices.

Hope this clarifies some points for everyone. It's obviously all the same questions that I had. I have to say that it's been exciting work thus far to address all these challenges/opportunities, so really looking forward to informing the readers what we all learn along the way, what progress is made, what's next on our front, and how we are continually using sustainability as a source of innovation across the board at Payless—not just with zoe & zac. Also can't wait to show all the THers the zoe & zac line when it launches in April!