Page 45 - Sorcha Mathews

Research Conclusion

Research shows there are new ecofriendly materials being produced more frequently than ever that promote sustainable
design, however they are slowly gaining trac on because of their compe tors, polymers, that are so easily acces ible, mold-
able, and most importantly, cheap. It is clear we ne d to stray away from the dependance of polymers as to many of them are

ending up in land ls due to po r design and lack of proper waste disposal.

Shoes are an excel ent example of a products that are mainly made from polymers and are frequently bought and disposed of
due to fast fashion trends, these shoes end up in land l s taking 50-80 years to decompose.

On average, the produc on of one shoe produces 30 pounds of carbon dioxide

It is es mated that consumers purchase 14.5 bil ion to 19 bil ion pairs of shoes per year, whereas the earth is only populated

with 7.6 bil ion people.

An average child wil grow up to 9 shoe sizes in their rst thre years, and ke p growing un l they reach adolescence, going
through many pairs of shoes.

Design Hypothesis

Fast Fashion has resulted in mas produc on/ consump on of non eco-friendly

shoes available for al ages. These shoes are among the top 20 household items that

end up in land l s with rub er shoe soles taking 50-80 years to decompose. Solving

the problem of slowing down this fast fashion craze should start with children of a

young age. If they grow up learning about and wearing eco-friendly products they

may be more inclined to con nue purchasing sustainable items as they mature,

therefor reducing produc on and waste and slowing down the fast fashion frenzy.

A sustainable, long-las ng, high-quality shoe design may encourage such habits.

This product would be designed with orthopaedic research and sustainability as a

main focus.