Keen: A Strategy for Making a Positive Impact on the Planet

After 20 years of making highly comfortable footwear to improve the lives of outdoor enthusiasts, Keen decided it was time to sharpen its focus. The brand has made a commitment to spend the next 20 years trying to have an even more positive impact on people and the planet. Here’s Keen’s strategy for becoming even more eco-responsible.

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Keen’s efforts at the product level

Keen is aware that the most eco-responsible thing to do would be… to do nothing. Its philosophy, however, is to design durable, comfortable and protective footwear so that we can all get outside, breathe some fresh air and explore nature, away from screens and stress, and closer to the real world. This means being more aware of the choices that go into making a shoe and doing everything possible to have a more positive impact on humanity and the planet.

Of course, for the brand, some of these choices are modest, like using recycled aluminum eyelets or reclaiming waste from products to create something “new.” Sometimes they’re more significant, like eliminating lifetime toxic chemicals (aka PFAS) from its supply chain. Each step is a move toward a more eco-responsible world.

Limiting chemical compounds

Have you ever heard of PFAS (perfluoroalkylated and polyfluoroalkylated substances)? PFAS are a family of thousands of chemical compounds found in a wide range of consumer products, such as waterproofing treatments and stain repellents used in textiles. As invasive as they are resistant, these chemical compounds are considered harmful to humans, animals and the planet. That’s why Keen has decided to ban them from the materials of all its products since 2018. As a result, nearly 8,000 kg of PFAS have been avoided in the manufacture of Keen shoes since then.

Limiting foot germs with probiotics

In line with the elimination of harmful chemical compounds, Keen has developed alternative innovations to make its products safer. Antimicrobials are frequently used in footwear to control foot odour that can occur when we sweat. Although they help manage germs, they are also one of six classes of harmful chemicals that cause significant damage to nature, often with limited benefits. Keen therefore banned them from its products as of 2015, preventing the use of 6,000 kg of antimicrobials annually (almost 67,000 kg since the launch of this initiative) by using an innovative probiotic-based alternative.

Choosing a more responsible leather

As a manufacturer of sustainable footwear, Keen considers leather an essential part of its list of design materials. Unfortunately, some stages of the leather supply chain can be opaque and difficult to monitor. Cattle raised for leather and meat in Brazil have been shown to contribute to the deforestation of the Amazon biome. Starting in 2023, Keen decided to ban all its suppliers from purchasing leather hides from Brazil.

The brand has also partnered with the Leather Working Group to ensure that any tannery (typically very resource-intensive) processing leather for its products undergoes a thorough environmental and social audit.

The brand’s commitment to the planet

As a family business founded on values of responsibility and solidarity, Keen is committed to reducing its environmental impact and sharing its innovations so that as many people as possible can contribute to the planet’s well-being. In 2023, the brand has strengthened this commitment by continuing its efforts as part of its Climate Journey campaign.

Reducing carbon emissions

Keen has set a goal to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2033 (by 55% and 62%, depending on the emissions category). Far from seeing this as an easy task, the company is committed to sharing its successes, failures, innovations and progress with its customers, the footwear industry and even its competitors.

Focus on renewable energies

The majority of Keen’s offices and warehouses now run on 100% renewable electricity (either manufactured locally or purchased)! The brand has achieved this by acquiring renewable energy certificates in all the regions where it has an operational footprint.

Investing in eco-responsible partners

The climate challenge requires everyone to get involved. That’s why Keen is committed to funding non-profit organizations whose missions are varied and always conducive to solutions, whether it’s a program supporting women entrepreneurs in the solar energy field in California (Women in Solar) or an organization promoting renewable energy production within Navajo and Hopi communities (Native Renewables).

Keen has also teamed up with two partners with whom it has forged a long-standing cooperation for the protection of nature: Protect Our Winters (POW) and The Conservation Alliance.

A positive impact on communities

Keen is committed to helping like-minded people around the world. To this end, it supports a number of communities through donations, whether of money (up to US$100,000) or products (a minimum of 15 pairs of shoes).

In Canada specifically, the company is committed to supporting organizations such as the British Columbia Institute of Technology, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, the Bruce Trail Conservancy, GlobalMedic, Leave No Trace Canada, Rare Charitable Research Reserve, Soles4Souls, the Red Cross and the University of Waterloo.

In summary, Keen is committed to the well-being of all outdoor enthusiasts and to increasing its eco-responsibility through social, economic and environmental initiatives in order to have a positive impact on the planet.