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.)

Did Brooks patent the BioMoGo technology?

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.

Do shoes with BioMoGo midsoles perform or look worse than Brooks’ shoes with MoGo?

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.

Does BioMoGo break down into toxic byproducts?

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.

Does this mean Brooks considers itself a “green” company?

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 more eco-friendly 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.

How does a BioMoGo shoe break down in a landfill?

BioMoGo works by enhancing the biodegradation of the midsole once it enters an active 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 with BioMoGo will biodegrade in roughly 20 years—that’s 50 times faster!—in the same environment.

What difference does it make if Brooks’ midsoles biodegrade?

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.

What does “biodegradable” mean and how is it different than other types of degradation?

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.

Will Brooks shoes cost more because of BioMoGo?

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.

Will shoes with BioMoGo fall apart in my closet or while I’m wearing them?

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.

Technical

By promoting biodegradable products, aren’t you encouraging a more disposable behavior among consumers?

The answer, in short:

Brooks makes highly durable technical running shoes and actively promotes keeping shoes out of landfills for as long as possible.
BioMoGo is not marketed primarily as a solution to solid waste but rather as a better outcome for the valuable biological nutrients stored in the midsole.
Performance running shoes are not a disposable product that would reasonably be expected to be treated as litter.

More info:
Brooks does not believe that landfills are the best solution to our culture’s propensity for consuming materials and creating waste. The best solution for all would be to keep waste from being generated and thus reducing the need for landfills. But with the current state of technology and the lack of existing alternatives for durable performance materials from rapidly renewable resources, Brooks feels improving the end-of-life outcome for its highly durable midsoles is currently the best available option.

Brooks specifically makes a point of educating people to reuse their shoes (see Brooks' Green Room) and supports organizations like Soles4Souls by donating shoes that can be reused by needy populations. But even after nine lives, shoes eventually will be thrown away—usually ending up in a landfill—and we are working to create a positive outcome for this that doesn’t currently exist.

Although Brooks has focused on creating useful nutrients from our products’ end-of-life state (i.e. anaerobic biodegradation), saving landfill space is crucial for some areas (Iceland, Japan, etc.), as demonstrated by Hawaii’s recent barging of solid waste to Los Angeles. Enhancing aerobic biodegradation will only partially affect landfill wastes because this process only operates for a brief period of time.

In 2006, the Biodegradable Plastics Institute (BPI) published a press release in which it stated:

The BPI has never seen any scientific data which shows that 'biodegradable' plastics will fulfill consumers’ expectations under landfill conditions (i.e. breaks down completely into nothing in 12 months or less).

These statements can be understood more fully in light of the following:

BPI focuses on aerobic biodegradation in short periods of time (composting) for commodity products—plastic forks, grocery bags, etc.—made to break down in municipal composting facilities (where your yard waste goes).
BPI only certifies based on ASTM D6400 and D6868—aerobic biodegradation of plastic products.

BPI supports waste reduction through source reduction, reuse, and greater use of recycling. Brooks strongly supports this position and has demonstrated this through actions such as the use of CMP processing to reduce source waste, reuse of footwear through programs such as Soles4Souls, and post-consumer recycling of materials such as PET bottles and BioMoGo midsoles into useful nutrients.

Brooks’ estimates of landfill waste that could be converted through the application of BioMoGo are based on anaerobic biodegradation that slowly occurs over time after the landfill is closed. Brooks has been very clear in its descriptions of BioMoGo and has always stressed the timeframe, conditions, and outcomes for BioMoGo’s breakdown. Furthermore, Brooks has based statements on 10 different scientific studies conducted at four separate, independent, accredited test labs (see this Technical FAQ).

See Reference List

Does the promise of BioMoGo’s biodegradation in landfill conditions really matter?

The answer, in short:

It has been well established that active anaerobic biodegradation has been occurring in most landfills since the 1970s.
Anaerobic biodegradation can actually produce useful byproducts, a property recognized by many European Union countries.
Anaerobic biodegradation improves potential effects of landfill leachates.

More info:
Landfills typically contain enough moisture and provide a morphologically and metabolically diverse environment to allow biodegradation to occur (Palmisano and Barlaz, Microbiology of Solid Waste 1996, p. 11; Archer and Peck 1989). Studies of landfill leachates have also shown the presence of a metabolically diverse anaerobic microbial flora (Beeman and Suflita 1987) in sufficient amounts to actively mineralize polymeric food sources (Barlaz et al.1992). This is demonstrated in practice by the waste gas trapping systems that all landfills include, which wouldn’t be required if biodegradation were not readily occurring (Ham et al. 1979). Research suggesting the contrary focused solely on an older landfill in an arid climate (Denison, Rathje, and Murphy 1992).

Some authors have questioned whether anaerobic degradation in a landfill is a good thing and whether saving landfill space is a reasonable selling point for landfill biodegradative products (Denison). By adding an anaerobic pro-degradant to BioMoGo, landfill gases are not increased; the rate of production is merely enhanced so that collecting the gases becomes economically feasible. New, permitted landfills must feature biogas collection devices, and as early as 1992, more than 119 of the largest landfills in North America already had these systems (Palmisano and Barlaz 1996). Under revisions to the Clean Air Act, the USEPA required large landfills in the U.S. to capture all landfill gases, and by 2005 there were 396 operational landfill gas projects nationwide. In the European Union (especially Germany and Italy), governments offer large subsidies for energy generated from biogas.

Studies of landfill leachates have shown leachates are highly reduced (Beeman and Suflita 1987; Christensen et al. 1994) due to active methanogenic biodegradation and thus do not contribute to the mobility of metals if any leakage were to occur. Leachate strength is also reduced through active anaerobic biodegradation, lowering the risk of groundwater contamination and treatment costs (Barlaz 1996).

See Reference List

How can I trust BioMoGo will biodegrade according to Brooks’ claims?

The answer, in short:

BioMoGo biodegradation has been substantiated by multiple sources of verifiable, independent, scientific data.
This data has demonstrated that BioMoGo biodegradation is safe, occurs in reasonable conditions, and happens in a reasonable time period based on the method of disposal (landfill).
Brooks’ communication around BioMoGo supports the guidelines that the Federal Trade Commission created for biodegradable products.

More info:
Consumer confusion exists around products labeled “biodegradable,” and this has led some researchers to issue blanket warnings—such as the one from Denison below—around all biodegradable products:

While there may be some legitimate uses for materials manufactured to be biodegradable where they can be shown to degrade completely and safely in a manner and timeframe compatible with the environment or waste management system in which they are placed, we do not support the development and use of such materials if they are used instead of, or they replace or compete with, recyclable alternatives.

On each of these points, BioMoGo has been carefully vetted to meet the requirements:

BioMoGo does biodegrade completely—that is to say it mineralizes to safe byproducts such as biogas and biomass—in active landfill conditions. After thorough ongoing scientific studies, one prominent environmental researcher has stated, “If disposed of in landfills, Bio-Batch treated plastics (BioMoGo) should break down.” (Barber 1999). The ingredients of BioMoGo have been tested at certified independent labs per the following protocols:
a. Anaerobic Biodegradation. ASTM D5210 – Standard Method for Determining the Anaerobic Biodegradation of Plastic Materials. University of New Mexico Department of Microbiology.
b. Anaerobic Biodegradation. ASTM D5511 – Standard Method for Determining Anaerobic Biodegradation of Plastic Materials – High Solids. Environmental Testing Lab. Cleveland, OH.
c. Anaerobic Biodegradation. ASTM D5511 – Standard Method for Determining Anaerobic Biodegradation of Plastic Materials – High Solids. Northeast Laboratories. Berlin, CT.
d. Anaerobic Biodegradation. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis. University of New Mexico Department of Geological Sciences.
e. Biodegradation Rate. Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR). Millennium Research Labs. Woburn, MA.
f. Biodegradation Rate. Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC). Millennium Research Labs. Woburn, MA.
g. Biodegradation Rate. Differential Scanning Calorimetry. Millennium Research Labs. Woburn, MA.
h. Toxicity Testing of Breakdown Products. European methods RAL GZ 251 & OECD Guideline #207. Environmental Test Lab. Cleveland, OH.
i. Mechanical Effects of Biodegradation. ASTM D3826 – Standard Practice for Determining Degradation End Point in Degradable Polyethylene using a Tensile Test.
j. Mechanical Effects of Biodegradation. ASTM D5034 – Standard Test Method for Breaking Strength and Elongation.

BioMoGo degrades in a timeframe that is compatible with the waste management system, a landfill, in which shoes are most often placed. Landfills are permitted to remain for longer periods of time than the accelerated biodegradation of BioMoGo needs to occur (>20-25 years). This breakdown period is significantly shorter than for standard polyolefinic plastic breakdown (500-1,000 years) without a pro-degradant (BLM 2003). Furthermore, BioMoGo enhances the effectiveness of more advanced solutions such as anaerobic digestion (common in the EU) and nutrient recycling (used in newly permitted landfills in the U.S.).

BioMoGo does not compete with recyclable alternatives since there does not exist another method for recovering and re-using the midsole from solvent-bonded shoes. Grinding up shoes for another use is only a Cradle to Grave solution. It doesn’t provide more than one more use for the shoe, and the result (e.g. non-degradable sport court surfaces) cannot be cycled back into the production stream. This is a clear differentiator from true “Cradle to Cradle” solutions.

BioMoGo meets the definition for “biodegradable plastic” from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission as “a degradable plastic in which the degradation results from the action of naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae (15 CFR section 5, part 260.7b).” Furthermore, the FTC presents the following guidelines for marketing claims:

It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product or package is degradable, biodegradable or photodegradable. An unqualified claim that a product or package is degradable, biodegradable or photodegradable should be substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence that the entire product or package will completely break down and return to nature, i.e., decompose into elements found in nature within a reasonably short period of time after customary disposal.

Claims of degradability, biodegradability, or photodegradability should be qualified to the extent necessary to avoid consumer deception about: (1) the product or package's ability to degrade in the environment where it is customarily disposed; and (2) the rate and extent of degradation.

Brooks feels that BioMoGo meets these guidelines by stating the conditions and rate of biodegradation clearly for the entire product (the midsole) and providing a reasonable time for breakdown based on the method of disposal (20-25 years is far shorter than would be normal for polyolefinic foams, and landfills are permitted to operate for a far longer period.

See Reference List

How do we know that shoes with BioMoGo go to a landfill? Doesn’t most trash in the U.S. just go to incinerators and we don't have a say?

The answer, in short:

Currently, most municipal solid waste is landfilled in the U.S.
More and more of these landfills are using the process of active anaerobic biodegradation to create valuable energy.

More info:
In 1994, the EPA formed the Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. LMOP Team Leader Brian Guzzone has said that about 50 percent of all of waste we generate as a society (in the U.S.) today is placed in municipal solid waste landfills (CNN.com, 2006).That's 150 million tons per year. The national recycling rate is usually estimated around 15-20 percent, leaving about 30 percent of waste for incineration. The GoodHuman.com estimates 80 percent of trash is landfilled nationwide, 10 percent recycled, and 10 percent incinerated (thegoodhuman.com, 2007). Based on these two industry estimations, we believe about 20 percent of waste gets incinerated. Some communities promote one or other of these options more heavily. Germany is the only large, industrialized country that incinerates most of its trash. We suggest you contact your local public utility department for a more accurate assessment of how waste is managed in your community.

LMOP has also said that since methane is both a pollutant greenhouse gas and a source of energy, it offers a good opportunity to reduce greenhouse emissions and provide energy.In 2005, there were 396 operational landfill gas projects in the United States. According to the EPA Web site, two-thirds of the current projects are being used to generate electricity, producing approximately 9 billion kilowatt-hours per year. BioMoGo accelerates this process, making it even more economically viable.

See Reference List

Is BioMoGo a true “Cradle to Cradle” solution?

The answer, in short:

BioMoGo creates a useful “biological nutrient” from its biodegradation, a central tenet of the “Cradle to Cradle” (C2C) philosophy.
Brooks has embarked upon the pathway toward “eco-effectiveness” for its midsole manufacturing.

More info:
The essence of the C2C ideal is to design products that can, at the end of their useful and expected life, provide nourishment for something new (McDonough and Braungart 2002, p. 92). BioMoGo serves as a “biological nutrient” according to that definition. The nutrients from the breakdown of BioMoGo can be used to grow crops for food or for bioplastics that can be made into other products, including shoes, thus completing the product cycle.

Brooks has embarked upon the path toward “eco-effectiveness,” another core C2C principle, by eliminating known culprits such as PVC and toluene in midsole manufacturing, following “ecological intelligence” by creating biological nutrients from the BioMoGo midsole, and making incremental improvements to material selection in the rest of the shoe (C2C, pp. 167, 171, 176).

See Reference List

Technical References

Archer, D.B., and M.W. Peck. 1989. “The microbiology of methane production in landfills.” Pp. 187-204 in Microbiology of extreme environments and its potential for biotechnology, ed. M.S. da Costa, J.C. Duarte, and R.A.D. Williams. New York: Elsevier Applied Science.

Barber, Timothy. 1999. Ecological assessment of bio-batch. Cleveland: Environmental Testing Lab.

Barlaz, Morton A., Robert K. Ham, and Daniel M. Shaefer. 1992. Microbial, chemical and methane production characteristics of anaerobically decomposed refuse with and without leachate recycling. Waste Management and Research 10:257-267.

Beeman, R.E., and J.M. Suflita. 1987. Microbial ecology of shallow unconfined ground water aquifer polluted by municipal landfill leachate. Microbiological Ecology 14:39.

Biodegradable Products Institute, The. 2008. News Release: "Biodegradable plastics" are not the solution to solid waste. http://www.bpiworld.org/Files/PressRelease/PRLSXOin.pdf.

Bureau of Land Management. 1998. Environmental Education Homepage: Teaching leaving no trace. Principle #3: Pack it in, pack it out. http://www.blm.gov/education/lnt/background/packing.htm.

Chen, Daniela. 2006. Converting trash gas into energy gold. CNN.com, July 17. http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/05/25/landfill.gas/index.html.

Christensen, T.H., P. Kjeldsen, H.J. Albrechtsen, G. Heron, P.H. Nielson, L.B. Poul, and P.E. Holm. 1994. Attenuation of landfill leachate pollutants in aquifers. CRC Critical Review of Environmental Science and Technology 24:119-202.

Denison, Richard A. Undated. Perspective on Degradable Polymers. Environmental Defense Fund and Alliance for Environmental Innovation. (accessed 2008

Good Human, The. 2007. How much trash gets thrown away each year? March 20. http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2007/03/20/how-much-trash-gets-thrown-away-each/.

Ham, R.K., K.K. Hekimian, S.L. Katten, W.J. Lockman, R.J. Lofy, D.E. McFadden, and E.J. Daley. 1979. Recovery, processing, and utilization of gas from sanitary landfills. EPA-600/2-79-001. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Municipal Environmental Research Laboratory. Cincinnati, OH.

Lapidos, Juliet. 2007. Will my plastic bag still be here in 2507? Slate Magazine, June 27. http://www.slate.com/id/2169287/.

McDonough, William, and Michael Braungart. 2002. Cradle to cradle: Remaking the way we make things. New York: North Point Press.

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Land Quality. 2001. Rethinking recycling: An Oregon waste reduction curriculum. Part 2: Grades K-3. Lesson 8: Look at a landfill. http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/pubs/docs/sw/curriculum/RRPart0208.pdf.

Palmisano, Anna C., and Morton A. Barlaz. 1996. Microbiology of solid waste. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Rathje, William, and Cullen Murphy. 1992. Rubbish!: The archaeology of garbage. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

Why didn’t Brooks make all parts of the shoe biodegradable?

The answer, in short:

Brooks believes sustainable product improvements should be implemented as soon as they are available and should be shared without competition.
Brooks is pursuing sustainable alternatives for all materials in its shoes.

More info:
Brooks made a conscious decision to move forward with the introduction of the BioMoGo midsole solution, knowing it hadn’t yet addressed the entire product. The company feels a deep responsibility to make environmental improvements when they are possible. If Brooks had waited for a complete shoe solution before introducing BioMoGo, it would have spent many more years producing midsoles that weren’t biodegrading and creating recyclable nutrients—a shame when a solution for that part of the shoe exists. Brooks has been very clear in its marketing of this technology to point out that only the midsole has been effected at this point.

This does put pressure on Brooks to find better, more complete footwear solutions moving forward. Many are in development now.

See Reference List