RUNNING LIKE THE WORLD DEPENDS ON IT | HYLO ATHLETICS
“Throughout my life I’ve always been passionate about nature” Hylo Athletics’ co-founder Michael Doughty comments, “and I think the older I’ve got the more aware and educated I’ve become around climate and sustainability. I’ve always believed that [the] consumer has the ability to drive [a] kind of change by how they spend.”
According to RunRepeat, a site run by ‘sneaker fanatics’ and sportspersons, the only way to truly reduce the carbon footprint of sneakers is to improve at the entire process from rainforest to landfill. Enter Hylo Athletics, who not only source natural materials that are proven to be best in class for performance but also create the trainer so that it can be completely reused when you’re finished with them. Even the name ‘Hylo’ demonstrates dedication to a waste-free lifestyle, the title being taken from the plant hylotelephium which has the appropriate nickname ‘life-everlasting’.
Up until recently Doughty played professional football, and has been playing the game since the age of four. He therefore has a natural interest in sport, but he has made it his mission to combine his expertise with his eco-values “to inspire positive change”. The summarised purpose of Hylo Athletics is to be an ‘athlete for planet’, which means athletes are “using [their] platform using sport, to inspire change and change mindsets”. It is fair to say that it is not just Doughty and his co-founders, John Prescott and Jacob Green, who believe that this is a purpose worth promoting. The brand is represented by multiple sports ambassadors, including Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford, number 1 T20 cricket bowler Sophie Ecclestone, champion golfer Charley Hull, super welterweight boxer George Davey and up-and-coming sports prodigies Alicia Regis and John Kpoku to name just a handful.
Doughty hasn’t always been a super-keen eco-warrior, but he does believe that nature has been the “thread” of his life and something he has shown perpetual interest in. Adopting a sustainable life style doesn’t have to be strict Doughty highlights. Instead, he suggests that taking little steps and habituating small practices is key to becoming ‘greener’: “the 1-2% margins are incredibly important and I think that’s an important message for us as a brand and as a consumer. You don’t have to be all or nothing. You can start taking good steps in the right direction and that will lead to better habits.” It would appear that Doughty’s philosophy draws many parallels with sport in that it is all about the marginal gains when looking for improvement.
Though Hylo Athletics’ trainers initially appear unassuming, the company have managed to take their commitment to sustainability to a microscopic level as well as macroscopic. Each part of the shoe is made from one of seven smart, natural materials such as algae bloom and natural rubber. According to RunRepeatthe most common shoe materials – polyurethane, nylon and polyester – are disproportionately responsible for textile related carbon emissions. Their research also suggests that only 1 in 29 (3.4%) of trainers are considered eco-friendly, and the do not detail any shoes which are totally biodegradable. This is where Hylo Athletics have the upper hand – their product life cycle is circular as it can be composted and upcycled.
The company also aims to minimise their carbon footprint by sourcing materials within a 100km radius and by road transportation, not aviation. Doughty explained to AMG that the goal is not only to be carbon neutral, but carbon negative by “taking it beyond so you’re having a positive impact on the planet by taking out more carbon than you that you emitted”.
Currently, the prospects for athletes and the planet are not looking rosy. A staggering statistic which Hylo Athletics provided is that by the 2050s, with a ‘business-as-usual’ approach to emissions, only 10 of the last 21 locations to host Winter Olympics will remain ‘climate reliable’. Despite this, Doughty remains positive and sees the need for change as not only inevitable, but a source of inspiration. Currently, more than 85% of trainers are sent to landfill or incinerated at the end of their usable life and it is going to take a collective effort to minimise impact: “it’s going to take us all working together to make a better world in the future. And, as a brand, we want to be part of that discussion and we want to inspire other brands and other consumers that think differently.”
You can find out more about Hylo Athletics and purchase the world’s most sustainable running shoe here.