Hellmann’s made sneakers from food waste, with a price tag that will shock you

A new sneaker collab just dropped, and no, it’s not Nike x Travis Scott or Tiffany & Co. x Nike Air Force 1. Its Hellmann’s x Food Waste. Yes, the mayonnaise brand. But the price would have anyone fooled. Hellmann’s Canada entered the sneaker game this week to challenge Canadians to rethink their consumption and waste of food. Created with Italy-based sustainable fashion brand ID.Eight, the “1352: Refreshed Sneakers” are made from common food waste items including corn, mushrooms, apples, grapes and more. The shoes, concepted, designed and manufactured with sustainable materials, were made to resemble the fashionable (and often expensive) sneakers donned by Gen Z. The real kicker, however, is the price tag. The naming of the sneakers is a callback to the monetary value ($1,352 CAD) the average Canadian household wastes in food each year. While the shoes are not actually for sale, campaign comes as the brand looks to bring awareness to the impact food waste has in Canadian kitchens, especially as wallets tighten across the globe due to global economic downturn. The initiative is in line with Hellmann’s brand mission at the center of every campaign of the last several years: tackling food waste and developing conscious and sustainable eating habits. Hellmann’s launched the “Make Taste, Not Waste” platform in 2018 to bring light to the issue of food waste. Since then, it has transitioned to environmentally friendly packaging materials and spearheaded campaigns such as Flexipes and Hellmann’s Fridge Night App to provide consumers with tips, tricks and resources to reduce their own food waste. “Hellmann’s has a longstanding history of taking the necessary steps to address, raise awareness and reduce food waste,” said Harsh Pant, senior brand manager for Hellmann’s Canada. “With ‘1352: Refreshed Sneakers’ we’ve created a visual representation of Canadians’ food waste, aimed at sparking conversation and challenging consumers to take small steps to reducing that $1,352 amount of food that’s wasted each year.” As part of the campaign, Hellmann’s, ID.Eight and Ogilvy Canada created 10 pairs, several of which were sent to sneakerhead and streetwear influencers to drive awareness among consumers, particularly Gen Z, about sustainability. “We know Gen Z cares about sustainability as part of their future, yet we also found that they are part of what’s driving this waste. We wanted to close that gap a bit,” said Dylan Soopramania, group creative director at Ogilvy Canada. “We specifically chose ID.Eight as a partner because of their commitment to low environmental impact. We wanted this campaign to not just send a message but also to show what’s possible, to underscore that there are more sustainable approaches to so many things, from our behaviors to the products we purchase.” According to Soopramania, the lifespan of the sneaker is the same as any standard pair. While there aren’t any plans to do additional production, Hellmman’s is exploring what else to do with the idea, he said. Canadians can also enter to win a pair of 1352: Refreshed Sneakers at hellmanns.ca. For every entry, Hellmann’s Canada will donate the equivalent of 10 meals to longstanding charity partner, Second Harvest, whose mission is to rescue food and reduce waste. Hellmann’s Canada has committed to providing a $25,000 CAD donation, which will provide healthy food for 75,000 meals. See more images of the sneakers below.

Hellmann’s made sneakers from food waste, with a price tag that will shock you

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