Apr 21, 2021
The Index.01 is designed to be disassembled and recycled. Courtesy of Salomon
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Salomon, the global leader in trail running and winter sports equipment, unveils the Index.01, a ready-to-recycle performance road running shoe. The shoe is the result of three years of research and development at Salomon’s Annecy Design Center in the French Alps, developed to reduce material waste and lessen the environmental impact of footwear by using circular life cycle principles. The Index.01 is the latest project within Salomon’s Play Minded Program, the brand’s ongoing sustainability initiative, and is set to be released in Spring 2021.
Other brands have made shoes from recycled materials before, like Adidas’ Parley collaboration, and On Running has announced the Cyclon, a subscription-based recyclable shoe for later in 2021 (though it will only ship when regional demand has been met), but the Index.01 is the first full-circle shoe to hit the market.
How it Performs
The Index.01 is a comfortable everyday trainer that blurs the line between performance and lifestyle. The clean, off-white aesthetic features Salomon’s new nitrogen-infused TPU Infiniride midsole, and a polyester upper. I found that Infiniride feels softer underfoot than most of Salomon’s other models. The polka-dot outsole provides decent traction on most days, though the middle of the shoe doesn’t have as much grip on wet surfaces as the stickier patches on the heel and toe. The polyester upper is very soft and comfortable, and it’s a roomier fit than Salomon is known for.