The shoe that turns into an apple tree: Toronto designer eliminating plastics, one step at a time

Thirty-three-year-old Luc Houle not only sees shoes as a way to protect our feet, but the planet, too.

“I was working for a fashion company and I would just see us pump out tons and tons of shoes and a lot of those just ended up in landfills,” said Toronto designer, Luc Houle.

For him, shoes aren’t just made for walking, but for protecting the environment, too.

“So I was thinking to myself, what can we do to improve this?” he continued, speaking with Global News one morning, “and, you know, make a little bit more of an impact on the environment that we’re not making right now.”

His big idea? Creating sustainable footwear — sneakers — that are fully biodegradable, from the beeswax-coated, water-resistant uppers right down to the soles.

“It’s completely organic uppers,” Houle demonstrated for Global News, holding the white, Keds-type looking sneaker he designed.

“There’s a cork insole that moulds to your feet over time, then the midsole and outsole are made of a specific compound that biodegrades in about three years.”

But that’s not all. The soles of these shoes house a sweet secret.

“I was like, if you’re going to plant your shoes in the ground in order for them to decompose, why don’t we put a tree seed inside of it and then have it grow into a big beautiful apple tree?” Houle said.