Reebok, which has been owned by adidas since 2005, just unveiled its first plant-based running shoe. The Floatride GROW — expected to hit store shelves in the fall of 2020 — is made from eucalyptus, algae, castor beans, and natural rubber. The shoe moves away from the tradition of petroleum-based footwear to use natural materials, building on the brand’s goal of ensuring a “positive impact on the plant,” declared the company. Experts say next year’s game-changing trend in sustainable consumer goods may be plant-based — or “vegan” athletic shoes.

Reebok is sprinting to sustainability with these vegan shoes, but the sustainable plant-based trend did not begin with the company: a slew of plant-based protein companies have long been in the race. While the plant-based protein industry had a market value of $12.1 billion in 2019, this value is expected to spike up to $27.9 billion by 2025, according to Statista.

It’s great that we’re finally thinking about the planet, but is this move towards sustainable plant-based fashion more of an economical game than an ecological one? We’ll keep that for the new decade.