Salomon Announces Index.01, Fully Recyclable Performance Running Shoe

Expect a dual purpose from the upcoming Salomon Index.01, a true performance road running shoe that can then turn into a fully recyclable option at the end of its life. Salomon announced a continuation of its sustainability efforts by unveiling the Index.01, releasing Spring 2021, that will serve as the company’s first shoe meant to be disassembled and recycled. 

The ready-to-recycle performance shoes, which took three years of research and development at Salomon’s Annecy Design Center in the French Alps to create, features a recycled polyester upper and a TPU bottom, both of which can be recycled separately at the end of the shoe’s life. The upper will be reused in fabric creation, while the bottom unit will get ground down and reused for a variety of purposes depending on the region. In Europe, for example, the recycled bottom will have a role in the production of Salomon alpine ski boots.

“Designing a recyclable running shoe that meets the level of performance people expect from Salomon is something we are proud of,” says Michael White, Salomon president. “It will be exciting to see what we learn from this process and how it shapes future innovation.” 

Inspired by Salomon’s Concept Shoe, a 2019 launch into recycling, the entirety of the $200 Index.01 is made of recycled materials, using a clean aesthetic designed for road running and lifestyle wear, all while minimalizing materials. The TPU-based foam provides the cushioning in Salomon’s rocker design that is meant to help propel the runner forward with quick heel-to-toe transitions. The shoe, with 9 mm drop, weighs 10 ounces.

With Salomon aiming for a recyclable shoe that merged sustainability and performance as part of the company’s Play Minded Program, a key challenge was finding a material for the bottom unit that came recyclable but provided enough quality to offer shock absorption and rebound for true road running. 

“First, we had to construct a shoe that only used two materials that could later be separated and recycled,’ says Oliver Mouzin, manager of Salomon’s footwear sustainability program. “Since Salomon has incredibly high standards for its products in terms of fit, performance and durability, we then had to make sure that those two materials would allow us to construct a shoe that delivers high quality for everyday road running.” 

The final material, dubbed Infinride, comes as a nitrogen-infused TPU-based foam, which can then be ground into tiny pieces and recycled. Using a water-based glue and recyclable polyester thread to connect the bottom and upper units minimizes material contamination. 

When it comes time for consumers to return the Index.01 for recycling, Salomon has implemented a regional recycling process to send the shoes to the closest collection center, whether in Europe, North America or Asia. Those centers will wash, dissemble and then ship parts to local recycling partners. 

“It’s important to also be sustainable and consistent across markets in how we’re collecting the Index.01 shoes at the end of their life because we don’t want them traveling all over the planet,” Mouzin says. “That’s why, as a first step, we’ve set up collection centers in each region for consumers to ship their used shoes. From there, our recycling partners will begin the next step to recycle the used shoe materials locally. While Salomon can recycle TPU in Europe and in Asia, we had to find solutions for recycling regionally in North America, where we are unable to recycle our TPU. Localization is the key.”