Footwear combines many hard-to-abate challenges—multi-material products, energy-intensive molding and curing, chemistry in adhesives and finishes, complex global supply chains, and tricky end-of-life recycling. Precisely because it’s hard, the best ideas emerging here translate well to other manufacturing sectors.
Guidance from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) now specifically addresses apparel & footwear, pushing companies to decarbonize in line with climate science and to review targets every five years.
Electrify wherever possible: Replace fossil boilers with electric heat pumps, resistance boilers (with thermal storage), and process electrification for drying, curing, and presses. Studies show sizeable energy savings potential from heat-pump adoption in industry. Pair this with green power for real emissions cuts.
Run on renewable electricity: Shift on-site and procured power to renewables via PPAs and RECs. The IEA’s 2024 outlook underscores rapid renewables scaling through 2030, which manufacturers can lock in with long-term contracts.
Case in point (brands): Nike targets deep operational (Scope 1 & 2) reductions with science-based goals, and focuses on the three biggest emissions drivers in its business; New Balance has committed to source 100% renewable electricity for owned operations by 2025.
Swap to bio-based and recycled inputs: Sugarcane-based EVA, recycled rubber, recycled polyester, and low-impact leathers reduce upstream emissions. New Balance prefers bio-based EVA and recycled outsoles; adidas has worked toward replacing virgin polyester with recycled content “where technically possible.”
Upcycle emissions into materials: On’s CleanCloud® pilots convert captured carbon into shoe components—an emerging pathway to move away from fossil feedstocks.
Push supplier programs: Puma’s “10FOR25” strategy and 2024 sustainability reporting detail supplier engagement on science-based targets and renewable energy. This matters because most emissions sit in the supply chain.
Mono-material or designed-to-remake: adidas’ FUTURECRAFT.LOOP and “Made to Be Remade” concepts aim for shoes that can be ground down and remade, avoiding mixed-material glue-locked constructions that stymie recycling.
Subscription & take-back: On’s Cyclon program uses recyclable products offered via subscription—keeping materials in a loop.
Durability as decarbonization: Longer-lasting products defer new production; some brands now publish product-level footprints to keep the focus on lifetime impact (see Allbirds below).
Measure, disclose, improve: SBTi and sector roadmaps urge rigorous Scope 3 tracking and interventions with material suppliers. EU CSRD rules begin applying from FY2024 (reports published in 2025), pushing large companies—including non-EU brands selling in the bloc—to report climate impacts with greater granularity. Tools and guidance now focus on getting better primary data from factories.
Benchmark and iterate: Apparel/footwear has hundreds of companies with SBTs or commitments; sector guidance prioritizes Category 1 (purchased goods & services), where ~80% of Scope 3 sits.
Safer chemistry & zero discharge: Brands are aligning to stricter lists and verification for hazardous chemicals, adhesives, and finishes—cutting risks and enabling recycling later. (Nike highlights water and chemistry alongside carbon and waste in its Move to Zero pathway.)
Closed-loop water: Process water recycling, dyeing innovations, and solvent-free adhesives reduce both emissions and pollutants—especially important in leather, synthetic uppers, and textiles used in shoes.
Lean manufacturing & scrap capture: Offcut collection, regrind of midsoles, and digital nesting reduce waste intensity and cost.
Targets & scale: SBTs include a 65% absolute Scope 1–2 cut and 30% Scope 3 cut (from a 2015 baseline). Programs span energy, materials, waste, and chemistry. For other manufacturers, the lesson is to tie factory upgrades to clear, time-bound targets and publish progress.
Circular pilots & low-carbon collabs: FUTURECRAFT.LOOP (mono-material for remaking), “Made to Be Remade,” and the sub-3 kg CO₂e running shoe achieved with Allbirds show how collaboration can slash product footprints. Commitment to scale recycled polyester (where feasible) helps shift supplier markets.
Material reinvention: CleanCloud® is building a new supply chain to turn captured carbon into shoe components—hard, but catalytic. The Cyclon recyclable-product subscription tests business-model shifts that keep materials circulating.
Supplier decarbonization: Puma’s 10FOR25 and its 2024 sustainability reporting emphasize science-based targets, renewables, and circularity with top suppliers—exactly where most emissions sit. This supplier-first model is replicable across manufacturing.
Radical transparency & net-zero experiments: Allbirds cut per-product footprints by 22% in 2023 to 5.54 kg CO₂e and has piloted a net-zero shoe (“M0.0NSHOT”), open-sourcing a “Recipe Book” so others can follow. Even if pilots are small, they set direction and pressure-test new materials and renewable energy sourcing.
Preferred materials & energy: Targets include 100% renewable electricity by 2025 for owned operations and accelerated transition to bio-based midsoles and recycled outsoles, with detailed 2024 impact reporting that other brands can mirror.
EU CSRD requires large companies to report against standardized sustainability metrics starting with FY2024 (reported in 2025). That’s pushing better Scope 3 data, factory-level reporting, and third-party assurance. Expect buyers to prefer suppliers who can deliver verifiable emissions and water/chemistry data.
Standards evolution: SBTi continues to refine net-zero rules and review cycles; sector guidance helps focus effort where it matters. This aligns corporate roadmaps with the broader energy transition (electrification + renewables + selective hydrogen for high-heat).
Reality check: Sustainability claims face scrutiny; for example, debates around recycled synthetics and event uniforms (e.g., the Paris 2024 spotlight) underline the need to move away from fossil-based inputs—not just recycle them.
Map your value chain emissions with primary data
Adopt SBTi guidance; require Tier-1 (and then Tier-2) suppliers to report energy, fuel use, and process emissions. Build CSRD-ready datasets and get third-party assurance.
Lock in clean electricity by 2030 (or sooner)
Sign PPAs/RECs, add rooftop solar, and schedule high-load processes when renewable grids peak. Electrify thermal loads with heat pumps/RES boilers; reserve green hydrogen for high-temperature processes you can’t electrify.
Redesign products to simplify disassembly
Favor mono-material constructions, mechanical fasteners over solvent glues, and label parts for sorting. Pilot take-back in your top markets and design SKUs for refurbishment. adidas and On show viable pathways here.
Shift to low-carbon materials with verified impacts
Set “preferred material” lists (bio-based EVA, recycled rubber, certified low-impact leather, recycled polyester), and tie purchase orders to supplier footprint improvements. Follow New Balance’s published approach for materials road-mapping.
Engineer waste out of the line
Use digital nesting, in-line metering of adhesives, and regrind of midsole scrap. Track yield loss at each station and publish a plant-level material efficiency KPI alongside energy intensity.
Tighten water & chemistry control
Adopt stricter chemical management and move to water-recycling at wet-processing partners. Nike’s focus on chemistry/water in “Move to Zero” is a useful north star.
Publish product-level footprints & iterate
Transparency builds trust and drives design change. Allbirds’ product-level labeling and yearly reductions show how to make footprints a design constraint and a brand asset.
Carbon-to-materials at scale: Turning CO₂ into polymers (as On is piloting) could decouple materials from fossil feedstocks—if costs fall and quality stabilizes.
Factory-level electrification packages: One-stop retrofits (heat pumps + thermal storage + controls + PPAs) will speed adoption across supplier clusters. The IEA’s 2024 work signals the momentum and market readiness.
Stronger—but smarter—regulation: As reporting regimes evolve (and sometimes wobble), leading brands that go beyond minimum compliance will shape supplier markets and customer expectations.
The cleanest factory is one that uses far less energy and material, runs on renewables, and designs products for a second life. Footwear leaders are proving this is feasible today: electrify heat and power, swap to low-carbon and circular materials, redesign for remaking, and publish real numbers. The playbook is public—now it’s about scale, speed, and relentless iteration.