Today is Earth Day, dear community. Every year on April 22, the whole world reflects on the status of the planet. This year the focus is on the use of plastic and especially on how we can reduce this use. Also in the world of sneakers, several initiatives contribute in their own way to improving the climate.
Planet vs. Plastics
During Earth Day, initiatives worldwide come together to address the current climate problem. That planet Earth is currently not in the best shape is not news to anyone. On Earth Day, everyone is called upon to make their voices loud for change through events, lectures, and information points.
This year's theme is Planet vs. Plastics. The organization behind Earth Day aims to achieve a 60% reduction in plastic use through a comprehensive roadmap. In it, the focus is on creating awareness among consumers, reducing single-use plastic and challenging fast fashion chains. Finally, the initiative wants to invest more in developing sustainable technologies and methods.
There are several ways you can advocate for sustainability. On the Earth Day site, you can find information, essays, figures, and reports with a focus on addressing the climate problem. Should you be interested, be sure to take a look.
Roadmap
Especially for Earth Day, there is also a roadmap that everyone can follow for reducing daily plastic use.
Some of the steps in this roadmap are as follows:
- Avoid fast fashion - a major problem in the clothing industry is fast fashion. The term fast fashion includes clothing that is made and sold at a rapid pace for low prices. The clothes are trendy and soon disappear into the trash after a short use.
- Inform yourself - another major problem in the current climate issue, is that people often do not know the impact of certain choices. Buying a three-euro shirt may sound harmless, but it has major environmental consequences. You can read more about this via the Earth Day site.
- Join the #PlasticsDetoxChallenge - change starts with yourself! Join the #PlasticsDetoxChallenge and challenge yourself to use as little plastic as possible, from shampoo bottles to plastic bags and other packaging. Share your experiences via social media with the #PlasticDetox and inspire others to join the challenge.
In your own way, contribute to reducing the plastic waste mountain by applying one of these steps to your daily schedule.
Sustainable initiatives
In the field of sneakers, some initiatives are working to make the fashion industry more sustainable. Brands such as Nike, ASICS, adidas, and PUMA each have their own initiatives and lines in which they focus on producing sneakers sustainably.
Nike has the Move To Zero line, which reuses materials from the workplace, and adidas has the Primeblue collection, which uses plastic yarn in producing apparel.
There are also labels like VEJA that see sustainability as their core value by using vegan materials. Recently, the French sneaker brand opened a repair hub where people can turn in their used sneakers and they are given a second life.
On the Dutch level, some initiatives are working for the planet. Consider WEAR - a circular fashion startup from Rotterdam. The company focuses on making the sneaker industry more sustainable by giving old sneakers a second life.
Should you be interested in their mission, click the button below.
Sneakerjagers x Sneaker LAB
On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, Sneakerjagers in collaboration with South African company Sneaker LAB will drop the One Extremely Good Sneaker Care Kit. The kit consists of three products and a brush specifically designed for cleaning your sneakers.
All Sneaker LAB products are created in a sustainable way. The formulas use natural bacteria that are not only good for your sneakers, but also for the planet. In a Sneakerjagers interview, Joe Farah, founder Sneaker LAB, explains why sustainability is so important to him and how it manifests itself in Sneaker LAB's products.
The Sneakerjagers x Sneaker LAB cleaning kit will drop on April 24, 2024, in the Sneakerjagers webshop. Keep an eye on the Sneakerjagers news page for updates surrounding the drop.
Sneakerjagers Sustainable
So, whether it's Earth Day, or not - making sustainable choices is important every day. In case you love sneakers like us, but are more environmentally conscious, take a look at the Sneakerjagers Sustainable page.
Here you will find news stories of sustainable initiatives. You will also find sneakers that have been sustainably produced or given a second life. Happy Earth Day!