Trainers made from fruits and vegetables

These recyclable, sustainable, vegan trainers are made from plants but stay stylish

Spotted: Many people today are concerned about the impact of the fashion industry on the environment. While some dislike using animal products, such as leather, others are concerned with the amount of pollution and waste generated. For trainer lovers, a new company, MoEa, has a solution – sustainable trainers made entirely from plants and recycled materials. 

The MoEa trainers use a bamboo lining, recycled rubber for the soles, recycled wood fibre for the insoles and recycled polyester for the labels. On top of this, the company has developed an innovative way to use fruit and vegetable waste in the construction of the vegan leather used in the uppers: apple waste from the Italian juice industry; grape waste from the Italian wine industry; pineapple leaves from the Philippines; cactus and non-edible American corn.  

To stabilise the biomass waste, fruits and plants are blended with organic cotton, bio-polyurethane or recycled plastic – depending on the plant. The result gives a breathable, leather-like material that emits 89 per cent less carbon than leather, according to MoEa’s Life Cycle Assessment. Each shoe is also colour-coded to correspond to the type of plant material used, yellow trainers are made from pineapple leather, red shoes from apple leather, etc.  

MoEa’s trainers are handcrafted in Portugal using USDA bio-preferred materials certified, or that comply with Global Recycled Standards. Achille Gazagnes, founder and CEO of MoEa, told Springwise that the company is committed to providing people with sustainable and stylish trainers that are, “comfortable to wear and usable for a variety of different occasions. Unfortunately, they are also contributing negatively to the planet.” He adds that MoEa was launched to create trainers that “offer the same level of style and comfort you’d expect to see in your favourite leather pair, whilst ensuring that the planet isn’t some sort of a meaningless afterthought and that animals aren’t treated with cruelty.” 

Products made from vegan leather and other types of fruit and vegetable waste are becoming extremely popular – and increasingly stylish. Springwise has seen a rapid increase in the number of vegan and fully recyclable clothing products available – everything from textiles made from packing waste, to sustainable, biodegradable sequins. 

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