Braskem, the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas, as well as a market leader and pioneer producer of biopolymers on an industrial scale, recently announced its involvement in Native Shoes’ new line of The Robbie footwear, created with Braskem’s renewable and carbon negative I’m green™ bio-based EVA polymer.
Native Shoes designed The Robbie with Generation Do in mind – the kids of today who are growing up as the most educated, connected, socially-aware and environmentally-minded generation in history. They’re unafraid to stand up for their beliefs, argue with the grown-ups and challenge the status quo – and this is the shoe to help them on their way.
Renato Yoshino, Business Director, Olefins & Polyolefins South America, Braskem stated, “As the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas, Braskem is focused on collaborating with companies that share our commitment to advancing the creation of more sustainable, consumer-friendly products with our I’m green™ portfolio of eco-friendly materials. Native Shoes is helping lead the movement to meet the growing consumer demand for more environmentally conscious footwear and taking fashion to the next level of sustainability. Braskem is delighted to work with like-minded partners around new sustainably focused products, to ensure our products make a measurable positive impact at every step, from design, to delivery, to re-use.”
Kyle Housman, CEO of Native Shoes commented, “Native Shoes is on a mission to make it easy for all to Live Lightly, and this is the design philosophy behind every new shoe we create. The Robbie was designed for Generation Do: the tiny activists who will grow up to change the world. We couldn’t think of a better material to use for this shoe than Sugarlite™ – every bit as lightweight and comfortable as traditional EVA but made with sugarcane for a lighter greenhouse gas impact. We’re excited to work with Braskem’s I’m green™ polymer to bring Sugarlite™ – and some of our most innovative new designs – to life.”
Sugarlite™ is Native Shoes’ proprietary sugarcane-based EVA-blend material. Making up both the upper and midsole materials, Sugarlite™ offers the same lightweight, easy-clean, and odor-resistant properties for which Native Shoes are known and loved but has a greenhouse gas impact that is 22% lower than traditional EVA, based on an ISO-aligned life-cycle analysis conducted by a third-party consulting group. Currently, Sugarlite™ contains 40% bio-based content from Braskem’s sustainably sourced I’m green™ carbon negative EVA sugarcane-based biopolymer and Native Shoes is working to responsibly increase this through design and innovation.
Fully recyclable via the Native Shoes Remix™ Project, Tiny Activists can easily mail their old shoes – including the Robbie – back to Native Shoes for free, where they will be given a second life as playgrounds for local communities in Vancouver, British Columbia. For more information on The Robbie visit Native Shoe online at www.nativeshoes.com/robbie-collection.
Braskem’s I’m greenTM bio-based EVA is sustainably produced from sugarcane, a renewable source that contributes to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by CO2 capture. For those who want to adopt Green EVA into a new product concept, it is ideal for use in footwear, toys, general foams and much more.
Braskem’s Green EVA benefits include:
- Renewable Source: Sustainably sourced and produced from sugarcane, a renewable raw material.
- Drop-in Solution: Replaces the conventional resin without investments in new machinery for plastic transformation.
- Recyclable: Green EVA can be recycled and reused in the same stream already developed for conventional EVA.
