According to a 2018 study by eco-consultancy Quantis, the sneaker industry accounts for 1.4 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions. That's a pretty alarming number, especially when you consider that air travel is responsible for around 2.
5 per cent globally. That's why some of the biggest names in the game have all been working overtime to try and figure out more environmentally-friendly processes – and one of them is Unless Collective . “I mean, ultimately, I'm a 30 year industry vet,” says Eric Liedtke, co-founder and CEO of the label, and former brand president of Adidas .
“There's no secret that the industry is made on the back of petroleum. It's how 70 per cent of this stuff is made, you know? Whether it's nylon, polyester, spandex, or whatever you want.” Unless Collective Degenerate ‘Black’ By Charlie Teasdale Petroleum-based materials are useful, because they're flexible, they're durable, and they're water resistant.
But what's not-so-great about them is that they're what's called “forever” materials , which basically means they'll never fully degrade. “They just break down into smaller and smaller pieces, which science is now telling us are invading our bodies at an increasingly rapid rate, whether it's in the air we breathe, the water we drink or the or the food we eat,” says Liedtke. “And, so that was the catalyst behind Unless, really.
“In 2021, I decided, with a few other brave souls, to take the big step into startup life and see if we.