Two minutes

While environmentally friendly credentials are welcome, the real sales point of this shoe is the flexibility. This is a neutral shoe that is carefully designed with a pretty cool retro dose, and something you will reach day after day.

Floampride energy grows using at least 50% plant-based materials, but you will not realize it at all when you run. These are mild neutral road shoes that are surprisingly well in wet and dry conditions. It is more flexible than many others, though – laterally and especially medially – which may be found by several runners provide inadequate support.

We were impressed with the flexibility, and if you prefer neutral shoes are softer. The old school is also seen as a welcome break from Neon norms, making it practical for everyday tasks and your routine training is running.

However, we have some concerns about the resilience of its construction, after paying attention to some fraying on the edge in the tongue during our testing. The most environmentally friendly running shoes are what you wear as long as possible, so this is something that needs to be considered when choosing your next partner.

Design

The main thing that sets the Energy Reebok Floampride Grow is a choice of material. While brands like Allbird have made the sustainability of their entire identity from the start, we began to see larger names joined by reducing their virgin plastic use too.

Salomon.01 index, for example, is built from only two materials: polyurethane foam and recycled polyester. After you run it to the ground, you can restore it to Salomon to be recycled (the cost included in the initial price).

ASICS has also entered the Act, with a limited edition of running shoes made using plastic from waste clothing collected in Japan, and dyed using a method that uses a small portion of conventional water techniques.

Floatride energy grows taking a different approach, with the top made using Eucalyptus bark, and foam is made using distance nuts (just like the cyclone released earlier in 2021, which is only available by subscribing).