KEEN Launches Industry-First Technology to Tackle Footwear Waste

As millions of pairs of shoes wind up in landfills every year in the U.S. alone, KEEN, Inc. (KEEN) is integrating a new technology to help address this issue, one of the footwear industry’s biggest unresolved challenges. Called EcoEnd, this solution contains a blend of organic compounds and is used in KEEN’s performance foam midsoles to accelerate biodegradation and minimize microplastics during the biodegradation process.
Beginning in 2026, EcoEnd will be incorporated across all KEEN trail running styles, with plans to expand to additional product categories over time. It marks the first time the technology behind EcoEnd has been applied at scale in footwear, representing the latest step in KEEN’s decades-long journey to reduce its environmental footprint through its Consciously Created approach.
“Upgrading our midsoles—and eventually other shoe components—to incorporate EcoEnd is a tangible proof point in how we’re delivering more sustainable footwear, by designing materials with end-of-life in mind, without compromising performance, durability, or price,” says Ann Radil, who leads corporate sustainability and philanthropy at KEEN. “What makes EcoEnd so impactful to KEEN and the industry is scale. Small material decisions, applied across millions of pairs, can create meaningful long-term impact.”

The footwear industry produces roughly 24 billion pairs of shoes every year, with about 90% ending up in landfills. Most rely on plastic-based components, such as PU and EVA foam, that perform well in use but can take hundreds of years to break down, releasing microplastics into the environment in the process. EcoEnd applies a proven solution—already used in other hard-to-recycle materials like food and sports equipment packaging—to KEEN’s midsoles, enabling microbes to naturally consume the plastic through nature’s organic biodegradation process.

KEEN wants “forever shoes, not a forever footprint,” and making shoes last longer has long been part of KEEN’s Consciously Created approach to help keep shoes out of landfills. One example of that is its KEEN.FUSION direct-inject construction method that fuses the upper to the sole for a longer-lasting, mechanical bond achieved through heat instead of harmful glues. The conscious shoemaker also recently launched its RE.KEEN resale program to help extend a shoe’s useful life. Eventually a shoe can’t be worn or handed down any longer, which is why KEEN has been researching and developing innovative solutions to responsibly dispose of footwear, leading to this EcoEnd breakthrough.

EcoEnd is KEEN’s strategy to combat microplastics and footwear waste. It is designed to activate after disposal in conditions found in active landfills. EcoEnd remains inactive during a shoe’s useful life, delivering these powerful end-of-life benefits without compromising performance, durability, or feel on feet. Lab testing (ASTM D5511) shows that EcoEnd-enhanced midsole foam biodegrades at a rate of 9.6% after only 30 days in a biologically active landfill, reducing the decomposition timeline from a few centuries to just several years.

“Making shoes has an impact on the planet, and we work hard to lessen that impact,” Ann says. “EcoEnd is an exciting step forward in sustainable innovation, and our goal has always been to prove it works, build the supply chain, and then make it accessible—because industry-wide adoption is how this kind of innovation makes the biggest difference. We could have kept this to ourselves, but proprietary green technology only solves a fraction of the problem—so we’re opening our findings to any brand that wants them, because the climate doesn’t benefit from competitive advantage.”

EcoEnd will be available in several KEEN styles in 2026, beginning with the Wander trail running shoe, launching Sept 2026 in the UK.