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PRODUCTS & SERVICES
WF
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PrimeAsia calculates
carbon emissions for
its leather
T
anning group PrimeAsia has
worked with inspection, verificat-
ion, testing and certification company
SGS to calculate the individual carbon
footprint of its leathers.
PrimeAsia has said it will use the
carbon emission values it has
established as “a benchmark to
analyse the impact of present and
future energy reduction programmes”.
It will make the data available to
footwear customers to help them make
informed decisions about the leather
they choose to use. For example, the
company has worked out that one
square-foot of its Comfort E leather,
with a thickness of between 1.2 and
1.4 millimetres consumes 5.28 kilos of
carbon dioxide while in production at
its tannery in China.
In a new phase of the project in
2012, PrimeAsia will also benchmark
the amount of water it consumes to
produce its different leather selections.
Reebok to relaunch
EasyTone trainers
U
S sports brand Reebok is to
relaunch its EasyTone shoes, a few
months after the firm agreed to pay
$25 million in compensation to
consumers after an investigation by
the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
concluded that Reebok’s advertising of
the products was “deceptive”.
In September 2011, Reebok chose to
settle with the FTC “in order to avoid a
protracted legal battle”. “Settling does
not mean we agree with the FTC’s
allegations; we do not,” Reebok stated.
According to the FTC complaint,
Reebok made unsupported claims in
advertisements that walking in its
EasyTone shoes and running in its
RunTone running shoes strengthen
and tone key leg and gluteus maximus
muscles more than regular shoes.
After the $25 million settlement was
agreed, Reebok stated: “We fully stand
behind our EasyTone technology, the
first shoe in the toning category
inspired by balance-ball training. We
have
received
overwhelmingly
enthusiastic feedback from thousands
of EasyTone customers, and we remain
committed to the continued develop-
ment of our EasyTone line of products.”
Reebok president Uli Becker has
now announced that the brand’s
toning shoes will be relaunched. Mr
Becker said on 20 December: “Toning
was driven by the insight that women
care about their looks, and that insight
doesn’t change.”
He added that sales of toning
sneakers have been strong overseas
and that new product innovation,
tighter distribution and a long-term
plan would be key to re-establishing
the footwear category in the US.
American & Efird publishes
sustainability report
S
pecialist supplier of sewing thread
to the footwear industry American
& Efird released a new sustainability
report on its own business at the end
of 2011. The headline finding was that
the company has reduced its
greenhouse gas emissions by 7.7% in
the last five years.
John Eapen, the company’s vice-
president for the environment, health
and safety, explained on launching the
report: “We launched an eco-driven
programme in 2009 that consists of
Ten Threads of Sustainability as a
formal series of goals and objectives
that continue to drive day-to-day
activities at all of our global facilities.
By adhering to the strict guidelines on
all fibres, dyes, chemicals, lubricants
and manufacturing processes, we
were able to see tremendous reduction
of our carbon footprint, and our water
and energy consumption.”
As well as the reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions, the report
recorded a 9.6% reduction in water
consumption between 2005 and 2010,
equating to 1.3 million cubic-metres of
water saved. There was also a 4.5%
reduction in energy use in the same
five-year timeframe. American & Efird
also says only 5% of waste from its US
operations is now going into landfill
and the company is committed to
achieving 100% recycling of waste by
improving its waste separation
processes and employee training in
this area.
Dow claims new polyure-
thane supports renewable
resources in footwear
C
hemicals manufacturer Dow has
announced a new renewable
polyurethane (PU) material that it
believes will be of interest to footwear
manufacturers. Under the name Green
Footprint Project, the company will
launch the new product in the first
quarter of 2012.
The project is the result of a
partnership between Dow and Italian
soling
materials
manufacturer
Mondialsuole and is part of the wider
LIFE+ programme that has funding
from the European Commission to
support environmental and nature
conservation projects throughout the
European Union. The Green Footprint
project qualifies because it uses bio-
based Dow polyurethane systems that
feature Voralast renewable resources
technology.
Voralast solutions are based on
polyester polyols that contain
renewable raw materials. Renewable
content can easily reach up to 30% by
weight on average and can achieve up
CREDIT: REEBOK