Keen launches upcycling certification program

Keen, Inc., a global footwear brand, is expanding its Detox the Planet Initiative with the debut of the Keen Harvest Certified Program, a tiered program designed to reduce industrial waste by upcycling it into shoes. The initiative builds on Keen’s growing Harvest offering, providing transparency into how much industrial waste is upcycled into its shoes. The goal is to relieve pressure on global landfills and minimize the use of virgin materials and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Keen intends to share the details of this process beginning 2022.

“We first launched Harvest products 15 years ago using industrial waste from the rice industry,” said Erik Burbank, vice president of The Keen Effect, in a statement. “Harvest is about upcycling industrial waste that would otherwise go to landfills, instead creating something new and useful, while lowering the demand for new material in the production process. We’re certifying Harvest products to both provide transparency to fans and to demystify and encourage other brands to help attack the industrial waste problem.”

It is widely estimated that 97 percent of waste comes from industrial sources vs approximately 3 percent from post-consumer sources. Much of the world’s solid waste goes directly to landfills, a leading source of man-made methane, an incredibly potent greenhouse gas.

“Less waste in landfills, less virgin materials sourced, less greenhouse gasses emitted - it’s a trifecta of benefits for the planet,” continued Burbank. “We’re continuing our research on new Harvest materials, refining the overall model, and plan to open-source the program in early 2022. This isn’t about creating a competitive advantage for Keen. We hope to see other brands adopt and even improve on what we’re doing and, in turn, share their learnings with others. We need to work collectively if we want to create real change.”

Specifically, the Keen Harvest Certification Program features three levels of certification: Gold (greater than 50 percent upcycled materials), Silver (greater than 25 percent), and Bronze (greater than 10 percent). The ratings provide transparency to the percentage of waste upcycled into shoes. The first shoe with this certification, the Howser Harvest, is Gold certified using upcycled car seat leather in 80 percent of the upper, launching this November 2021.

For spring 2022, The Harvest Collection will expand with the Howser Harvest Sandal for men and women, Elsa sneakers for women, and additional Howser Harvest slip-on and lace-up styles for men and women. Select new models will feature upcycled waste coffee grounds. This keeps coffee grounds out of landfills where they create methane, a greenhouse gas known to be more harmful than carbon dioxide, another greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.