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Chang, Angel. "The wildly complex anatomy of a sneaker." TED, www.ted.com/talks/angel_chang_the_wildly_complex_anatomy_of_a_sneaker. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Goetz, Lisa. "The Economics Behind Sneakers." Investopedia, 29 Dec. 2021, www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/030716/economics-behind-sneakers-nke-addyy.asp. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.

The Harmful Side of Fast-Fashion Shoes. Sargossa, sargossa.com/blogs/journal/the-harmful-side-of-fast-fashion-shoes. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

Kalra, Amit. "3 creative ways to fix fashion's waste problem." TED, www.ted.com/talks/amit_kalra_3_creative_ways_to_fix_fashion_s_waste_problem. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.

Keller, Kate. "A Brief History of America's Obsession With Sneakers." Smithsonian Magazine, 18 May 2018, www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/brief-history-americas-obsession-sneakers-180969116/. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Matteis, Stephanie, and Charlsie Agro. "What really happens to old clothes dropped in those in-store recycling bins." CBC News, CBC, www.cbc.ca/news/business/clothes-recycling-marketplace-1.4493490. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

Reed, Carey. Infographic: Sneakers by the numbers. PBS, www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/sneakers-numbers. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

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The companies that make sneakers have some overlooked economic practices that impact us. Because the USA has higher wages and worker protection laws, many companies put their factories in places like China. This means that they can get away with underpaying and overworking people without consequence. But that’s not it. Some companies have replaced their workers with robots to lower the cost even further. Since many of these employees have to work at factories because they don’t have other choices, this leaves many people unemployed. On a different note, Basketball also affects the amount of sneaker sales. Occasionally, big shoe companies will partner with celebrities and famous Basketball stars to sell limited edition sneakers. People buy these for high prices and these companies make large amounts of money because of it. In fact, these shoes can get so popular that resellers sell them on eBay for even higher prices! That is some of the large economic impacts of sneakers.

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Piles of shoes ready to be tossed into a dumpster with mountains of other clothing products.

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An infographic presenting the numbers behind sneaker sales.

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Sneakers, and by extension fashion as a whole, do cause a lot of damage. However, there is still plenty of work that can be done to fix this. First, you can try buying fewer shoes. This is a simple solution, but many people don’t seem to think about this. The average American will buy three pairs of sneakers per year! So if you switch to waiting until your current shoes are completely worn out, less shoes will go to waste. Another idea is to try buying shoes in person more. Some people like to order shoes online, but return most of them. This adds to the growing fast fashion problem, since companies often dispose of returned items instead of going through the expensive process of putting them back on the shelves. By buying shoes in person, you avoid adding to this issue. Finally, if you are able to, you can try to make efforts to help your shoes and clothes last longer. For shoes, try washing them more instead of getting rid of them because they are getting dirtier. You can make your shoes look new even if they aren’t, so no need to buy another fresh pair so soon. As for other clothing, try sewing tears and fixing them up yourself. One little hole should not be enough to get rid of a shirt. There are many ways you can fix the problem with sneakers and fashion, and these are just a few. How will you help?

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The Impact of Sneakers on the Environment

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The Impact of Sneakers on the Environment

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Sneakers have a large effect on the environment and climate. The fashion industry is the second-most responsible industry for greenhouse gas emissions, and sneakers are responsible for 313 tons of emissions each year. That’s ⅕ of the fashion industry’s emissions total! As a result, they are a huge contributor to global warming and climate change. This is because making sneakers requires a chemical that leads to the destruction of freshwater ecosystems, and the manufacturing of them accounts for two-thirds of sneakers’ carbon emissions. Sneakers also start to break down after only six months. This, along with the fact they aren’t made up of easily recyclable or compostable materials results in a lot of wasteland that shouldn’t be there. Consequently, the impact sneakers have on the environment is drastic.

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Despite their immense popularity, there are lots of things that sneakers do to negatively impact us. Because sneakers are purchased so often, it shouldn’t be a surprise that many go to waste in dumpsters as soon as people think they’re too old or worn out. Sadly, this adds to the amount of carbon emissions and other greenhouse gasses that the fashion industry releases into the atmosphere. Since we are part of the planet too, these emissions also hurt us. But there are other ways that sneakers can impact humans as well. Many people work at factories to make a living, including the factories run by huge shoe companies. However, these factories are mostly placed in countries outside of the USA strategically by the companies because other places don’t have the same worker protection laws as us. Consequently, the workers are subject to minimum wage and being exposed to toxic chemicals, such as toxic glue fumes. Due to these poor conditions, many aren’t able to make a living, and lots more grow unhealthy from the environment. By hurting helpless people, this negatively impacts humanity as a whole.

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Sneakers are a very significant part of modern culture, and are worn constantly by many people today. How did they get to this point? Back in 1839, a man named Charles Goodyear invented a substance called vulcanized rubber, which is the material used on the sides and soles of many shoes today. But it wasn’t used for this purpose for over two decades. Even when the rubber started to be used for the first versions of sneakers in the 1860’s, it took until the advent of basketball in 1891 and its slowly growing popularity from then on to peak people’s interest. As time went by, sneakers gradually became more and more popular. Once the 1970’s came, and running became a popular sport as well as basketball, the shoes only got more and more famous. Now, they are a key part of modern-day culture.