UKC

eco-Trax is a high friction rubber compound containing around around 30% recycled content. EVOLV are the first rockshoe company to use a more environmentally friendly rubber compound on their shoes. The technology comes from decomposing selective pre and post consumer rubber waste and reprocessing it to make a usable compound.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=1988

I might be being sceptical here but i don’t see the advantage of this eco rubber, if the climbing companies wanted to make a real effort they would have a return and recycle program on offer (or similar). It seems they are just buying cheap recycled rubber for larger profits then making customers think they are buying eco products. I would be interested to see a full breakdown of the environmental impact of a few different rubbers. I’m not sure after the recycling process there would be much difference.

Any thoughts?

In reply to Tom_Harding: I'm sure it's a start but I cannot get my head around the context of pre-consumer product waste being eco.

I would think natural rubber from the para tree would be eco friendly as preconsumer product.

Synthesised rubber from the oil industry less so.

In reply to grumpybearpantsclimbinggoat:
Pre-consumer waste:
Cutting a round lump from a square sheet and then recycling the off-cuts rather than just binning them.

Would an injection moulding type method be more eco freindly, you would only need the amount of rubber for the shoe with no off-cuts.

In reply to Tom_Harding:

Do Scarpa and Mad Rock not do this already with some soles?