WE AREN'T PERFECT

We aren't perfect but we are impatient

At hylo, we’re impatient for change. Impatient for a gigantic industry with polluting habits and processes to turn itself around and for fast fashion to slow down.  We’re impatient for footwear to reduce its footprint problem and to put our planet over profit. But people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, so it’s important that we own our imperfections and are transparent about how we can improve too.

The following article is intended to explain some of the problems that we see in the industry and how we are trying to resolve them, as well as the key points we acknowledge that we can also do better.

Why we are impatient?

The vast majority of sportswear products are reliant on fossil fuel-derived materials. Fossil fuels are the number one cause of the climate crisis. If footwear was a country it would be the 17th largest polluter  and 90% of shoes end up in landfill with limited end of life solutions. 

On our current trajectory, there is a more than 50% chance that rising global temperatures will reach or surpass 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) between 2021 and 2040 and under a high-emissions scenario, the world may hit this threshold even sooner — between 2018 and 2037 (IPCC Report, 2023). And countless other statistics and stories…

How are we imperfect?

Our shoes are not yet 100% derived from renewable content as we sometimes need to use fossil fuel based materials, often due to lack of alternatives. The IMPACT is currently 40% bio-based with a carbon footprint of 8.63kg/coe2. We constantly obsess over these two numbers, striving to improve - but we aren’t perfect.

The biggest paradox for us is that we are creating new products that have an environmental impact and we truly believe that as a Planet, we need to consume less.

However, we also believe in running more. Therefore, there is a clear need to create products for runners that last and improve on the current impact that running shoes have on our Planet.

Where hylo is doing well?

The list above is just a few of our imperfections - we’re aware of all of them and we think it is important to state them clearly. However, when we take a step back and reflect, we’re also doing pretty good on the following matters:

Our balance of performance and materials science innovation is at the forefront of the industry. Our carbon number is half as big as the average running shoe. We achieved an outstanding score of 104 points on our B Corp certification. We have solid principles around our use of renewable materials. Our products are all vegan. We care about carbon (here’s why). Our packaging is actually pretty cool  - and made with the Planet at its core.

Our greatest strength is that we are building from solid foundations - with principles that will serve people and the planet. We’re not knocking down the house. We’re building from the ground up. 

Running like the world depends on it.