How often do you think about the footbed of your shoe? Check yours, and we bet you’ll find a brand called OrthoLite.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on iRunFar.
Runners, hikers, and sneakerheads love to talk about the outsole, midsole, and upper of a shoe. But the insole, a critical part of shoe comfort, is often overlooked. Part of this may be because the footbed manufacturer Ortholite Providing more than 400 leading shoe brands with insoles that are so good, people forget what they need for a shoe to perform.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022, the company is the largest manufacturer and supplier of insoles for all types of footwear (according to OrthoLite), including athletic, running, active, comfort, lifestyle, and fashion . Over 500 million pairs of shoes use OthoLite insoles each year, so there’s a good chance that many shoes in your closet use these insoles.
But OrthoLite doesn’t just focus on making comfortable insoles; the company is also dedicated to environmental sustainability. According to the brand, OrthoLite has worked hard since its inception to find ways to reduce the use of waste and energy in its manufacturing processes, while still seeking to create more functional and comfortable products.
Shoe brands including Danner, HOKA, Salomon, and La Sportiva benefit from OrthoLite’s focus on quality and sustainability.
Learn more about OrthoLite
A History of Strengthening Practices
OrthoLite has been dedicated to sustainable manufacturing practices from the ground up. Not only does the brand want to make good products, but Ortholite seeks to do so with minimal environmental impact. The brand focuses on finding circular manufacturing solutions where everything that goes into its products is recycled or composted.
Because OrthoLite is a vertically integrated company that owns its factories, it has been able to incorporate environmentally friendly methods to reduce waste and energy use. The company’s commitment to improving operational efficiencies, using solar panels for energy, and having a wastewater treatment facility earned it scores above the 90th percentile from Higg Indexa measure to assess the environmental sustainability of a supply chain for a product.
OrthoLite factories also have a Zero Waste initiative and their own recycling facilities. The company is actively involved in research and development of sustainable manufacturing methods. Its purpose is to minimize the use of toxic chemicals and additives in its processes to protect the environment.
When OrthoLite first started making insoles in 1997, the company’s main goal was to create more comfortable shoes. A significant upgrade from the basic foam insoles that existed at the time, OrthoLite replacements are made of open-cell polyurethane foam. This new material helps keep feet cool and dry.
The brand’s ultimate goal still remains zero waste.
Modern Sustainable Insole Technology
By creating trust-based relationships with leading shoe brands, OrthoLite is able to customize its insoles for the specific needs of various shoe manufacturers. According to the brand, it has the largest portfolio of proprietary eco-technologies for insoles in the industry.
With these options, OrthoLite can produce products with different levels of eco-content, from 5% to 98%. By working closely with companies, the brand is able to meet specific performance and maintenance requirements with brands for different types of shoes.
OrthoLite also has two new options for sustainably made insoles: HybridPlus-Recycled and HybridPlus-Bio. Both new models of insoles have a high percentage of recycled materials.
According to OrthoLite, the HybridPlus-Recycled insole contains 50% recycled content, including recycled rubber powder and polyurethane foam. HybridPlus-Bio goes one step further, using 7% bio-oil in the insole to reduce the petroleum used in the production of the product.
Both insoles are among the latest innovations from OrthoLite’s team. The company continues to pursue the goal of repurposing waste from its manufacturing processes. And while the new insoles are made with new materials, OrthoLite still strives for the best in comfort and performance.
OrthoLite Cirql: Sustainable Insole Foam
Many shoe midsoles and insoles are made with EVA foam, a non-recyclable material. Made with non-renewable chemical compounds that do not biodegrade, often referred to as “perpetual chemicals,” EVA is not particularly environmentally friendly.
OrthoLite has a different idea to create foam for midsoles, developing Cirql, a circular product solution from the ground to the ground. This foam product, announced in early 2022 and starting initial development with brand partners in 2023, does not contain EVA and is created from plant and other biodegradable materials – according to OrthoLite. Even the processing of the material is done in a zero-waste and chemical-free way.
After a shoe, the Cirql material can biodegrade or can be recycled, leaving no microplastics or other harmful chemicals to pollute the Earth, says OrthoLite.
This advancement in foam technology has the potential to make the shoe manufacturing process more sustainable by helping footwear brands increase their sustainability efforts through cleaner manufacturing and the use of a real product ground-to-ground.
The Future of Insoles is Comfortable and Durable
It is important for brands to think about sustainable practices at least as much as they think about creating a comfortable product.
OrthoLite is leading the way, providing options for leading brands to produce shoes in a sustainable way. The brand believes that the environmentally circular production of the product, where everything in the production of a product is biodegradable or recyclable, is the way of the future. OrthoLite footbeds reflect the company’s commitment to the environment and the advancement of sustainable practices.
So the next time you notice a comfortable OrthoLite insole on your favorite adventure shoe, you might as well consider it an insole made with the future of your precious trails in mind.
This article is sponsored by Ortholite. You can learn more about the brand’s insoles online.
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