New Balance Crafts a Sustainable Sneaker Using Surplus Materials
Dubbed the PRJ 3.0.
In July of 2018, footwear brand New Balance created the Test Run Program, an initiative dedicated to testing unique and innovative ideas by challenging the conventional creative process. Now, one year down the line, the company has finally unveiled the fruit of its labor: a sustainability-minded limited edition sneaker dubbed <Test_ Run> PRJ 3.0.
With the new model, New Balance designers were tasked with taking an existing midsole and creating a performance sneaker around it using only surplus materials to reduce leftover waste. The result is a sneaker line comprising of entirely unique colorways with “no two pairs (or even two shoes) being the same.” The uppers have been crafted with surplus mesh and synthetic webbing, paired with a surplus sockliner stamped with the <TEST_RUN> PRJ logo, which all sit atop the existing Hierro v5 midsole. Rounding the sneaker off is a Vibram EcoStep outsole constructed from 30 percent recycled material, further reducing waste.
For those interested, the limited edition <Test_ Run> PRJ 3.0 will be available globally on November 15 on the New Balance online store and select retailers such as Bodega, Extra Butter, Kith and Vibram for $180 USD.
Elsewhere in footwear, check out these leopard-print Vans exclusive to BILLY’s Tokyo.
