Why We Chose The Acceleritas7 Women’s RB9X Trail Shoe: Grippy, lightweight, sustainable
Price: £130
Weight: 190g
More info: icebug.com
As a brand, Icebug is matter-of-fact about its products. You can’t save the planet by buying Icebug shoes – and they’re not environmentally friendly either. Wait, what? But it’s true – think about it. Trail shoes, like any other bit of outdoor kit, are consumer goods, and consumption uses up resources. But, as Icebug also points out, since they’re in the business of making trail shoes, it’s their responsibility to do so in a way that reduces the impact on the environment as much as possible. Still, no consumer goods are really ‘environmentally friendly’, so that’s a term they never use.
“The brand has gone further by recycling waste production, ensuring that in future 20% less new resources will be needed to produce their soles.”
This is a refreshingly honest approach in an industry that seems to be trying harder than ever to continually tell people that more and more of their products are greener, eco-conscious or sustainably produced and manufactured. I suppose we’re guilty of it too – after all, this is a green gear guide.
The Acceleritas7 RB9X shoes are a good case study of the Icebug approach. The mesh upper is made from Bluesign-approved polyester, while the lining of the shoe is Bluesign-approved recycled mesh. The Bluesign system is an industry-wide certification for sustainable textile production that guarantees harmful substances have been eliminated from the manufacturing process.
Related: Best Trail Running Shoes Reviewed
The brand is rigorous about the materials it uses in its shoes, prioritising performance and durability as a key part of sustainability – that is, building products that will last so runners don’t have to go out and buy new shoes every few months. It’s the design ethos that has been applied to their RB9X rubber. Along with the physical tread pattern of the outsole, it’s this rubber compound that provides grip. But unlike softer compounds, RBX9 is also extremely durable, giving the product a longer life and thereby minimising the negative environmental impacts inherent in production. The brand has gone further by recycling waste production, ensuring that in future 20% less new resources will be needed to produce their soles.
