
innovating forward
Outlined below are our efforts to help companies and consumers. Come back often to keep up with our progress.
Establishing and Accelerating Critical Projects
We collaborate with companies, inventors, factories, and research groups to run and support technical projects—testing and validating concepts that drive industry-wide innovation. These initiatives are highly targeted, focusing on specific tangible outcomes chosen and guided by footwear companies. Current examples include:
- Regulatory Innovation – Developing new tools and technologies to innovate around upcoming regulations, such as extended producer responsibility (California), new Ecodesign laws (EU), and traceability issues. (Project in progress)
- Carbon Emissions in Footwear Manufacturing – Researching modern emissions caused by footwear manufacturing in Asian factories, including new data to support future research and ideas for reducing carbon output. Read Report Now
- Re-Assessing Modern U.S. Footwear Production & Opportunities for Catalyzing Strategic Re-Shoring – Exploring opportunities to expand domestic manufacturing in the U.S., understanding financial models, the labor-to-capital environment, and other factors to help footwear executives evaluate reshoring options. (Project in progress)
- Manufacturing Innovation – Researching and testing how new machines and technology (including AI) can transform manufacturing processes. (Upcoming project)
- Trend/Inventory Innovation – Exploring new software and hardware solutions to finish or restyle footwear (e.g., applying color or patterns) in U.S. and European warehouses to meet real-time market trends. (Upcoming project)
Reach out to us if you are conducting footwear research or development projects and need our support.
Producing Forward-Thinking Papers and Research
- Crafting insightful reports and papers to identify ‘white space’ opportunities — areas of untapped value that remain unrecognized within the industry.
- Offering innovative ideas and strategic insights to foster growth — enabling broad, exploratory thinking to help shape the industry's forward evolution.
- Helping increase critical thought in the footwear industry — helping shape the future of research projects.
Advising Academics and Researchers to Improve R&D Outcomes
We provide exclusive knowledge and insights into footwear — both as a product and as part of the larger system — to support and guide researchers as they explore key issues and challenges. We can help you access key insights, data sets, and a deeper understanding of how the industry operates. Additionally, we offer guidance on what R&D projects the industry is seeking.
Reach out to us if you are conducting footwear research or development projects and need our support.
Contact Us
Companies, academics, and labs – share what you are working on, get assistance or guidance on projects, and learn more about us and our work!
© 2025 Footwear Innovation Foundation. All rights reserved. The Footwear Innovation Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.