Global winter sports brand · 2026
Making the case for replacing petroleum-based components
A materials substitution proposal built to survive contact with manufacturing reality, cost structure, and the marketing claim that would follow.
The challenge
Sustainability initiatives usually die in one of two places: the factory says it can't be made, or marketing can't say anything about it that survives scrutiny.
Replacing petroleum-based components in footwear manufacturing had to clear both bars at once.
The approach
Worked the material substitution question alongside the manufacturing facility rather than around it, so the proposal reflected what the line could actually produce.
Structured the claim in parallel with the specification — defining upfront what could be said honestly, so the story and the product were designed together instead of sequentially.
Outcome
- A proposal grounded in manufacturing feasibility rather than aspiration.
- A defensible claim structure established before the product existed, not retrofitted after.