Source: BLOOM Algae Foam: Explained
After being invited to speak at the Footwear Innovation Summit 2019 in Los Angeles, I discovered how little I understood the importance of sustainability and technology in the sneaker industry. Sneakerheads buy more pairs than the average consumer. While this is good for the bank accounts of brands, it’s not good for the ecosystem. In this series I will introduce companies that are helping to improve the supply chain of footwear companies via innovations in science and technology.
Toxic algae blooms have shut down beaches in Mississippi. It’s front page news on Bing and the story is trending, but seeing that reminds me that the sneaker industry, a billion dollar industry, could help to process this toxic water. During the Footwear Innovation Summit one of the presenters captured my attention enough that I jotted down his information once I realized how close he was to Memphis and once I realized that every brand should be at this facility and utilizing the technology. That presenter was Ryan W. Hunt, CTO and Co-Founder of ALGIX and BLOOM.
At BLOOM, we believe in the power of stepping up.
Our goal is to inspire the global footwear industry to reduce its environmental footprint, while continuing to innovate and provide performance-driven goods at competitive price points. And we want to help them make it happen.
Every day we’re working with nature to find creative solutions that preserve our planet’s most precious resources. Follow along with us, share our story, and join us as we work towards a more sustainable future.
Look for the BLOOM logo to know that your shoes are doing more.
Right now Ryan is out of the country working on new developments in Algae technology. What ALGIX is doing is taking the opportunity to merge sustainability and commerce to benefit society with clean technology. I don’t know nearly enough about this so I plan on taking a trip down to Meridian to tour the facility and I will definitely keep a video journal when I do so.
Why Is This Important?
Right now sneaker brands, and every brand, are utilizing buzzwords like sustainability, life cycle and eco-friendly in marketing campaigns. The problem is very little of the footwear produced actually uses these technologies. While Parley is synonymous with adidas, the majority of adidas products are not using clean technology and they definitely aren’t using BLOOM. To be honest I have never seen the BLOOM logo in the sneaker culture world.
That’s why I’m dropping this post. When people begin to recognize that the sneaker lifestyle could demand serious changes in the products we purchase, then the sneaker industry will begin to change. This is important because while we all like to be stylish becoming a bit more aware of options will hold brands to a higher standard.
Stay tuned for updates on this as I definitely plan to take a video tour of the facility. Use the source links to read more.
https://bloomfoam.com/innovation/
https://algix.com/