Eco-Fit: New Balance
New Balance’s newSKY ($90)
Even the most disciplined ecoista can get in a rut when it comes to the holidays. Travel and guests get in the way of exercise, and it seems like everywhere you turn somebody’s offering you a cookie. We found style-focused, eco-minded fitness gear guaranteed to inspire a year’s worth of resolution.
Investing in new shoes? Think about where they’ll end up, once you wear through the tread. According to Greenpeace’s “Dirty Laundry” report, most running shoes are made of plastic, nylon and other petroleum-based nasties that produce carcinogenic byproducts like benzene and xylene during manufacturing.
Not so healthy.
We love the flash of the Nike vs. Adidas detox showdown in this Greenpeace video, and applaud Puma, which has promised to eliminate toxins from their entire supply chain by 2020.
But our favorite sustainable shoes come from New Balance, which designed the environmentally-conscious New Balance newSKY™ unisex collection from 95% post-consumer recycled PET bottles—eight 20-ounce PET bottles per pair, on average—and water-based glue. The barefoot inspired, sleek shoes are great for walking or running, and the pops of color can dress up, too.
Pumped-up kicks, indeed.
Swag alert! During the weeks of 2.6.12 and 2.13.12, two lucky EcoStiletto subscribers will each take home a pair of $90 New Balance newSKY™ shoes. So sign up, already!
