You hear the word “sustainability” a lot in the footwear industry, yet more companies seem to talk the talk than actually walk the walk.
Sustainability became part of Twisted X’s DNA more than 10 years ago when our CEO, Prasad Reddy, saw an image of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It spurred him to read the book Plastic Ocean: How a Sea Captain’s Chance Discovery Launched a Determined Quest to Save the Oceans by Charles Moore and Cassandra Phillips, which discusses the discovery of the massive collection of litter — mainly plastics — that found its way into the North Pacific Ocean. It continues to grow as more non-biodegradable waste accumulates in the area, and is estimated to be about 1.6 million square kilometers in size — that’s three times the size of France, and twice the size of Texas.
Prasad learned was saddened, shocked, and abruptly aware that he wanted to do what he could to do better for our planet. He also learned that the fashion industry is one of the biggest environmental polluters, and recognized what would become a mission toward lessening Twisted X’s impact while also cleaning up damage that had already been done.
Prasad wanted to incorporate eco-friendly materials into his footwear making process without introducing more pollutants into the environment, so he began developing a plan. However, there was one thing missing: a partner with a process to inspire his own.
Prasad did his research and eventually connected with a man who was making blankets from recycled water bottles and donating them to developing countries. Prasad sent him a letter sharing his goal to make something like the man’s recycled blankets but for footwear, and a partnership began.
Prasad and his partner worked tirelessly until they conceptualized what would become ecoTWX: the material that we put on the uppers of our shoes today, made from about 13 plastic bottles per pair (but you would never know by looking at them that the durable, elegant material was once a plastic bottle). One thing was for certain: Rather than spend a thousand years in the ocean, bottles that are repurposed into ecoTWX find new life as some fine-looking shoes. Whenever a pair of shoes from Twisted X’s ecoTWX collection is purchased, we also donate to plant a tree and further Prasad’s mission to help rid the world of waste and give us a cleaner future.
Today, we continue to invest in developing new ways to recycle non-biodegradable waste into fine quality fashion. Prasad has since defined and prioritized sustainability as one of the core pillars of Twisted X, and beyond developing new materials that utilize recycled, upcycled, or natural components, he has pushed to make production processes more environmentally friendly.
At Twisted X, sustainability is something that we live and breathe each day because we don’t take our time on this planet or its natural beauty for granted, and we want the products that we make to reflect that. From the practices at our corporate offices to the materials we use, we are always looking for ways to do better.
Learn more about our sustainability efforts here.
“It’s our responsibility as individuals to do something. Otherwise, what kind of planet would we leave behind for our future generations? It’s not just based on us doing something good just to say we did it; it’s that we must do something before it turns disastrous,” - Prasad Reddy
