A running shoe begins accumulating environmental cost long before it reaches a store. Raw material extraction, energy-intensive manufacturing, overseas shipping, and last-mile delivery all occur before the first mile is ever run.
According to a lifecycle analysis by MIT and Quantis, the majority of a shoe’s carbon footprint is generated during production—not use.
When a shoe is never worn, that footprint delivers zero utility.
Returned footwear—especially unworn returns—represents one of the most inefficient outcomes in retail. The resources are spent. The value is stranded.
Relay intervenes at this exact moment.
By capturing unworn returns and excess inventory and redirecting them to runners who will actually use them, Relay restores the balance between environmental cost and human benefit.
A shoe doesn’t need to be recycled to be sustainable.
It needs to be worn.
Sources referenced:
MIT Life Cycle Assessment Lab • Quantis Footwear LCAs • EPA Carbon Accounting