ABOUT US
The 21st century has brought environmental challenges a little too close to home. Constant news of wildfires, air quality, and other natural disasters permeate the country, and even more so on the global scale. Strides recognizes the climate catastrophe we are living in and is investing in the latest technology to bring forth sustainable footwear.
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Around 300 millions shoes are thrown away each year, and the average sneaker takes 30 to 40 years to decompose. The decomposition process is a long one, time that the Earth doesn't have. Instead of producing footwear with polluting materials, Strides focuses on sourcing natural and recycled material for the four main components of the shoe. The upper and insole are made from coffee grounds melted with PET bottles, while the midsole and outsole are made from recycled rubber. Strides is dedicated to finding new ways to eliminate waste in order to promote a healthy environment.
We don't just stop at creating sustainable shoes! As a part of our mission to give back to the community, we donate 50% of our profit to environmental organizations and the construction of accessible public parks. Many people living around the country don't have safe locations near them to take the dog for a walk or to just appreciate nature. Funding and creating public parks opens up doors for folks to engage in healthy behavior and live a conscious lifestyle. The disconnect between indoors and outdoors has never been greater in the digital age, and it is now time for us to bridge the gap.
Where we Stand
Making eco-friendly choices shouldn't come with a huge cost. Corporations like Nike and Adidas have rolled out shoes made from sustainable materials, but the hefty price tag is exorbitant for the average American. Considering the cost to produce a sneaker amounts to about $15 according to Shoemakers Academy, our domineering competitors are hoarding money to fund themselves, not the world we live in. Strides views it as our duty to give back to Earth, as a show of gratitude for the space we inhabit. That's why we dedicate 50% of our profit to charity and construction efforts, so that we can all live in a healthy world.
Financials
Materials:
Insole and upper: 5 cups of coffee ground and 8 PET bottles
Midsole and outsole: 1 lb of crumb rubber
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Materials Cost:
1 cup of coffee ground- $0.27 x 5 = $1.35
1 PET bottle: $0.67 x 9 = $6.03
1 lb of crumb rubber = $0.45
$8 allocation towards design, labor, and packaging
Shipping per shoe box = $7.63
Resources Cost:
Midsole and outsole mold = $2950
Glass melting furnace = $11,928
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Cost per shoe (including shipping): $15.83
Resources cost: $14,878
1 shoe pair retails at $84.30, so there is a profit margin of $68.47
Half of the profit goes to charity/construction efforts. so true company profit is $34.23
To make up money invested for resources, 437 pairs of shoes will have to be sold to break even