The environment is such a hot topic right now that marketers everywhere seem to be trying to find a way to cash in on this new, higher level of consumer awareness. Provided they don’t cheat on their claims to be “green” or “eco,” this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, if the greed of consumerism is what’s driven the planet to such a desperate state, they we should probably be considering ways to swing that powerful force in the environment’s favor. Besides, if there’s one thing that capitalism is good at, it’s driving innovation by appealing to people’s self-inerest.
Well, as far as so-called “green” products go, it seems that Payless Shoes has jumped on the bandwagon by launching an eco-friendly line, and one of the materials they’re using is hemp. As the Environmental Leader reports:
The eco-friendly collection of women’s shoes and handbags will be made from materials such as organic cotton, linen, hemp and recycled rubber. The company says the shoes will be produced on special machines that use biodegradable glues and will be shipped in boxes made of recycled materials.
It’s great to see a company looking not only at alternative materials, but also manufacturing processes and packaging. Of course, one of the largest environmental problems with footwear is how disposable they are. That is, we just throw them away instead of repairing them, and the cornerstone of Payless’ business model is to perpetuate that disposable culture.