In the last 50 years, the shoe industry has seen a massive boom in demand and production from the humble island of the United Kingdom to the monolith of the United States of America. Shoes have evolved from a necessary item of clothing to an integral part of anyone's wardrobe, with the average woman owning around 19 pairs of shoes. This increased demand for trendy kicks is not without its own cost.
According to the "Worldwide Footwear" website, "the production of footwear has increased by 21.2% since 2010 at an average yearly growth rate of 2.2%, with 2020 setting a new record of 24.3 billion pairs. With each pair of shoes producing 10.6 kg of CO2", we can estimate that the total amount of CO2 produced is a staggering 264.87 million tons of CO2 each year, and that's only to make them. So, the Fyous team got curious and decided to conduct a little experiment to see how much CO2 is created to ship and return a pair of shoes, and our findings were shocking, to say the least. Our estimated figure came to 17,000,000,000 Tons of CO2 each year, which is mind-blowing, and we go into full detail in our upcoming video.
Major shoe companies make their products on a mass scale to meet these demands, however, the general statistic is that apparel products (including shoes) have an average return rate of 38.75%, and these discarded shoes often end up wasting away in a landfill with the average time for decomposition being between 25-40 years. This gargantuan amount of waste increases each year as shoe companies overproduce their products and ship them halfway across the world to meet their customers, with any unsold or returned shoes being sent to waste away in a landfill. Some companies have started incorporating eco-friendly solutions such as recycling, but it still has a long way to go to change over 100 years of industry conventions. As a result, waste piles up, poisoning many different ecosystems, and our planet is suffering on an unfathomable scale.
These environmental impacts are why Fyous said no more to such unnecessary and wasteful production. Fyous, from day one, wanted to do things differently and tackle these issues with our revolutionary Polymorphic Moulding Technology. Every aspect of Fyous is designed to be the most sustainable and forward-thinking shoe brand in the United Kingdom, all made locally in our production facility. Since every order is made custom to each customer's unique foot shape, we only make shoes when the customer orders them, which means no excess waste in both production and unsold products. The scan-to-fit model also ensures a perfect fit the first time, so there is no need to order multiple pairs or returns. This first-time fit reduces CO2 emissions made by transport by a wide margin making it the perfect fit for the environment. We only use natural materials in our packaging, including an eco-friendly parcel sack and cardboard shoeboxes that use no ink in their packaging. We also offer a free repair in the first six months allowing the shoes to have a longer life on your feet. Of course, we are not perfect, but we strive to be committed to this cause and continuously research new avenues to improve.
With over 100 combinations and customisation options, we create your dream trainer that is a size you! Perfect for those sessions in the gym, or running up that hill, pushing your limits and transcending them. All this while helping tackle the industry's overproduction issue. We will change the industry together, one pair at a time.
Order your pair today at www.fyous.com.