First Thoughts on my 25-26 i2 Project

My i2 project this year is focusing on the environmental impact of supershoes. Supershoes are a type of performance running shoe that utilizes a carbon fiber plate and foam to improve energy rebound. While the foam midsole, outsole, and upper part of the shoe are all made of materials that are recyclable and eco-friendly, the carbon fiber propulsion plate, arguably the most important part of a supershoe, is not. Carbon fibers require multiple manufacturing processes to fully create, which burns lots of fossil fuels. In addition, most supershoes aren’t recycled because it is expensive to separate all the different materials for the different processes. This project addresses the problem of climate change, specifically the greenhouse gas emissions. It is worth focusing on because of the amount of supershoes in circulation today. Over 24 billion pairs of supershoes are manufactured a year, and since carbon fiber is non-recyclable, supershoes create a lot of landfill waste. A supershoe utilizing a propulsion plate that is both recyclable and eco-friendly would have a large positive impact on the environment, reducing waste while also raising awareness for the amount of shoes that go unrecycled.