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I couldn’t resist these Puma Injex shoes injection molded in one piece from non-PVC (presumably Polyurethane) foam rubber: they’re light and cushy and they appear to waste less material than typical shoes. In reality these are just attractive crocs, and they made me wonder whether they represent any benefit over traditional sneakers. They weigh about a quarter as much as a normal pair of shoes, which could save 30 grams of fuel in shipping them from China. But they certainly remain toxic to manufacture, non-renewable and non-biodegradable, which begs the question why soy-based polyurethanes haven’t yet been developed to make these innovative shoes a lot more sustainable.
. Leo is a artist, inventor and all around practical person in the Tangible Media Group at the Media Lab. He has a background in sculpture, architecture and industrial design as well as an MS from the Media Lab spent working on the kitchen of the future. He is on a search for truth.
