Sustainable Shoes Financed by the Running Community?
Icebug Launches Kickstarter Campaign for Trail Running Shoes
The outdoor brand Icebug has a goal: The shoe industry should finally recognize that the running community is willing to spend money on sustainable shoes. The Swedes have now launched a Kickstarter campaign for this purpose. The start is promising.
The Swedish outdoor shoe brand Icebug has been working hand in hand with the running community for a long time. For example in the ISPO Open Innovation campaign "Project: Clean Run", in which Icebug, together with other brands, received valuable customer input for the development of a sustainable trail running shoe.
Now the brand is opening another chapter in its cooperation with the community: Since 10 December, a kickstarter campaign initiated by Icebug has been running for its trail running shoe Icebug Outrun, which was named Outstanding Outdoor Winner in the Trail Running Footwear segment at OutDoor by ISPO 2019.
According to Icebug, the Outrun, which will be available from March 2020, is the most sustainable trail running shoe on the market. It is manufactured in a factory with solar modules to reduce CO2 emissions. The outsole is completely PFC-free, water-repellent and made from 15 percent recycled rubber. The upper is made of recycled polyester, and 20 percent of the midsole is made of Bloomfoam, a biomaterial made from algae.
According to Icebug, the Kickstarter campaign is intended to shake up the shoe industry, highlight the demand for sustainable products in the outdoor community and encourage retailers to have more confidence in sustainable products.
"This is an opportunity to be a part of the change. This is a first step to show the rest of the industry that there is a demand for sustainable footwear. There is only one future – and it is sustainable," says Icebug CEO David Ekelund.
Icebug hopes to accumulate a total of 200,000 Swedish Crowns (around 19,100 euros) by 8 January 2020. After only two days, the campaign has already generated almost 50 percent of the targeted sum.
"Business as usual is a disaster. So, we’re on a mission: to make Icebug an example of how the whole outdoor footwear industry need to clean up," says Ekelund about the campaign.