August 26, 2026 Keen’s biodegradable midsoles aim to cut footwear waste

Keen’s new EcoEnd technology is designed to accelerate the biodegradation of midsole foam and reduce footwear waste in landfills, while limiting microplastics at the end of a shoe’s life.

Millions of pairs of shoes end up in landfills every year in the U.S. alone, and Keen, Inc. is integrating a new technology to address what it describes as one of the footwear industry’s biggest unresolved challenges. Called EcoEnd, the solution contains a blend of organic compounds and is used in Keen’s performance foam midsoles, where it is designed to accelerate biodegradation and minimize microplastics during the process.

Beginning in 2026, EcoEnd will be incorporated across all Keen trail running styles, with plans to expand to additional product categories over time. Keen says this is the first time the technology behind EcoEnd has been applied at scale in footwear, and the latest step in its long-running effort 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,” shares 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.”

Why footwear waste is hard to tackle

The footwear industry produces roughly 24 billion pairs of shoes every year, with about 90 percent ending up in landfills, according to Keen. Most rely on plastic-based components such as PU and EVA foam, which perform well in use but can take hundreds of years to break down, releasing microplastics into the environment in the process.

EcoEnd brings a technology already used in other hard-to-recycle materials, such as food and sports equipment packaging, to midsoles. The aim is to enable microbes to consume the plastic through organic biodegradation.

Making shoes last longer has long been part of Keen’s Consciously Created approach to keeping shoes out of landfills, summed up in its goal of “forever shoes, not a forever footprint.” One example is its Keen.Fusion direct-inject construction method, which fuses the upper to the sole using heat rather than glue. The company also recently launched its Re.Keen resale program to extend a shoe’s useful life.

Eventually, however, a shoe can no longer be worn or handed down. This prompted Keen’s research into ways to dispose of footwear responsibly, work that led to the development of EcoEnd.

EcoEnd is designed to activate after disposal, in conditions found in active landfills, and to remain inactive during a shoe’s useful life, so that it does not affect performance or durability.

In lab testing under the ASTM D5511 standard, EcoEnd-enhanced midsole foam biodegraded by 9.6 percent after 30 days in a biologically active landfill, according to the company, which says this shortens the decomposition timeline from a few centuries to several years.

Sharing EcoEnd with the footwear industry

“Making shoes has an impact on the planet, and we work hard to lessen that impact,” explains Radil, before continuing:

“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, which launches in Britain in September 2026.

Lead image: Keen