1. What is BioMoGo?
A: Brooks’ BioMoGo is the world’s first fully biodegradable midsole foam for footwear. Once a pair of Brooks shoes with BioMoGo has reached an enclosed landfill, it will begin to biodegrade. In roughly 20 years the midsoles will be completely converted by common soil microbes into useful humus and nutrients. That’s about 50 times faster than a standard midsole degradation. (Traditional Ethylene Vinyl Acetate™ (EVA) midsoles can last up to 1,000 years in a landfill.) Back to Top 2. What does “biodegradable” mean and how is it different than other types of degradation?
A: Biodegradability simply means that the product breaks down through the action of microorganisms. By harnessing a landfill’s ever-present microbes to decompose the midsole, we can ensure that the material breaks down into safe and useful byproducts. Conventional degradation pathways such as hydrolysis (water), sunlight (UV), and heat can leave behind toxic or dangerous byproducts that risk damage to the environment. Back to Top 3. What difference does it make if Brooks’ midsoles biodegrade?
A: Our BioMoGo midsole only makes up part of a shoe. But by making our midsoles biodegrade 50 times faster in a landfill than conventional midsoles, we’re taking a significant step toward doing our part to protect the planet. This one Brooks’ footwear material change will save more than 30 million pounds of landfill waste in the next 20 years. That’s enough space to cover more than 1,200 football fields with shoes. Or to bring it closer to our home, those shoes would completely cover Green Lake, one of our favorite running parks in Seattle, with shoes four layers deep. Back to Top 4. Do shoes with BioMoGo midsoles perform or look worse than Brooks’ shoes with MoGo?
A: No. Brooks has run extensive internal and third-party independent tests on the new BioMoGo midsole to test function, durability, and manufacturability. We’ve found that BioMoGo keeps the same great cushioning, resiliency, and durability of our best-in-class MoGo midsole. There is no difference in performance between BioMoGo and MoGo. We’ve also ensured that BioMoGo maintains the look and feel our consumers have come to expect from our high-performance running shoes. Back to Top 5. Will shoes with BioMoGo fall apart in my closet or while I’m wearing them?
A: No. Brooks has conducted extensive lab and wear tests to ensure shoes with BioMoGo perform exactly the same as—if not better than—shoes with the MoGo midsole. In fact more than 200 runners ran up to 550 miles each in this product without any difference in performance. This is possible because BioMoGo enhances a type of biodegradation that requires the simultaneous occurrence of three environmental conditions: the absence of oxygen, the presence of many microbes, and the existence of moisture. BioMoGo biodegradation cannot occur without this “triple convergence.” You will not find these three environmental conditions in places were shoes are worn or stored. Biodegradation can only happen once the shoe has been thrown away and buried deep in an active enclosed landfill. Back to Top 6. How does a BioMoGo shoe break down in a landfill?
A: BioMoGo works by enhancing the biodegradation of the midsole once it enters an enclosed landfill. As soon as the midsole encounters the “triple convergence” of high microbial load, low oxygen, and adequate moisture, it begins to break down into its component nutrients. This makes the carbon that was locked up in the original petroleum available for plants and animals to use for growth. Early on this breakdown can be seen under high magnification as the following pictures show:
Control (standard MoGo) midsole after 1 year in active landfill conditions
BioMoGo midsole after 1 year in
active landfill conditions
While shoes with traditional Ethylene Vinyl Acetate™ (EVA) midsoles can last up to 1,000 years in a landfill, Brooks shoes will BioMoGo will biodegrade in roughly 20 years—that’s 50 times faster!—in the same environment. Back to Top 7. Does BioMoGo break down into toxic byproducts?
A: No. BioMoGo has been tested carefully to ensure that the byproducts of its biodegradation are not harmful to the environment. Successful tests against stringent European Union standards RAL GZ 251 and OECD Guideline #207 demonstrate that the breakdown products are non-toxic and can be used as nutrients by plants and animals. The breakdown products have also been tested for heavy metals and none have been found. Furthermore, no net gain in greenhouse gases occurs as a result of BioMoGo biodegradation. Back to Top 8. Will Brooks shoes cost more because of BioMoGo?
A: Although the prices of all materials and energy required to make shoes gradually increase over time, BioMoGo will never serve as the sole reason for price increases of our running shoes. Back to Top 9. When will BioMoGo shoes be available for purchase?
A: BioMoGo will launch in the new Trance™ 8 premium support shoe. You will find it at a running store near you on July 1, 2008. After that, Brooks will work to bring BioMoGo into our entire performance footwear line. Back to Top 10. Did Brooks patent the BioMoGo technology?
A: Although the application of BioMoGo technology to footwear involves valuable intellectual property, Brooks decided at the outset that we would treat our discovery as an “open source” innovation. We strongly believe that by sharing this idea with other footwear companies, and other companies in general, this technology can make an even larger impact on the world we all share. Back to Top 11. Does this mean Brooks considers itself a “green” company?
A: Brooks believes that truly sustainable companies are built one step at a time. We have already taken actions down this pathway, but we know it’s a lifelong race. BioMoGo is the latest innovation in a string of footwear materials and practice introductions, including our Compression Molded Perform (CMP) midsole manufacturing process, HPR Green rubber, and the reduction of PVC. We’ve earned the respect from our industry; leading running magazine Runner’s World granted Brooks its 2006 Runner’s World International “Innovation Award” for our environmental stewardship efforts. We’ve undertaken the long but important process of looking at all aspects of our business and finding ways to make them more sustainable. Visit the Green Room in the future and you’ll see more “green” innovations coming from Brooks. Back to Top
