In honour of World Car Free Day on September 22nd, Volvo Cars Canada and Casca footwear have launched a limited-edition sneaker that takes inspiration from the Swedish car company’s first-ever pure electric vehicle, the Volvo XC40 Recharge.
The Volvo x Casca sneaker collab incorporates a wide variety of sustainable and circular design practices, chosen to highlight Volvo and Casca’s shared goal of a carbon-neutral future.
Given that the Volvo XC40 Recharge was specifically created to reduce the environmental impacts of driving, it’s only fitting that the sneaker created with Casca aimed to do just the same.
Just like the XC40 Recharge, several elements of the Volvo x Casca sneaker, called the Kör Knit, were crafted with recycled materials. For example, repurposed car tires were used in the soles and recycled plastic water bottles were used in the knit upper.
More specifically, the Volvo x Casca sole contains 10% recycled car tires, which is the first time Casca has used this material. The upper of each sneaker is made with exactly seven recycled water bottles. Other features of the Kör Knit include vegan micro-suede panelling, high-density quick-dry laces, and a moulded anti-roll heel.
The shoe also features distinctly Scandinavian design principles, a nod to the Swedish automobile manufacturer. The brands even incorporated a subtle “Thor’s Hammer” motif into the toe cap of the shoe, which is also seen in the headlights of the Volvo XC40 Recharge. Further, the Swedish flag is represented on the shoe tag.
Alongside the launch of Volvo’s first pure electric SUV and their sneaker collaboration with Casca, Volvo has taken the opportunity to reiterate its commitment to climate neutrality and the circular economy.
They have outlined several sustainability goals they aim to achieve in the years to come. Such goals include increasing the use of bio-based and recycled materials in their vehicles by 2025 and reducing their lifecycle emissions per vehicle by 40% by 2025. The car company also mentioned some of their recent successes, ranging from recycling 95% of their global production waste in 2020 and using 56% climate-neutral energy to power their global plants in 2020.
The Volvo x Casca Kör Knit style is available exclusively on Casca’s website.
All images in this article are courtesy of Volvo and Casca.
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