Brooks(R) Sports Launches BioMoGo Biodegra...( Ground-breaking Technology Debuts in...),Health

Ground-breaking Technology Debuts in the Trance(TM) 8 Performance Running

Shoe

BOTHELL, Wash., July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading performance running company Brooks Sports, Inc. today announced that BioMoGo, the world's first biodegradable midsole, is now available to consumers in the new Trance(TM) 8 premium support shoe. Brooks designed BioMoGo to biodegrade 50 times faster than conventional athletic shoe midsoles, making it one of the most significant sustainable technologies to hit the running footwear market.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080724/AQTH512)

BioMoGo midsoles include a non-toxic, natural additive that exponentially increases the rate of biodegradation by encouraging anaerobic microbes to break down nutrients into reusable byproducts. While traditional Ethylene Vinyl Acetate(TM) (EVA) midsoles can last up to 1,000 years in an enclosed landfill, extensive tests have proven that BioMoGo can biodegrade in roughly 20 years when placed in the same environment. By using BioMoGo in its shoes, Brooks will save nearly 30 million pounds of landfill waste over a 20-year period.

Although the application of BioMoGo technology to footwear involves valuable intellectual property, Brooks decided at the outset that it would treat its new midsole discovery as an "open source" innovation and share it with other footwear manufacturers and interested industries.

"Environmental stewardship is an important business pillar for Brooks, and we're committed to creating products that help preserve and, whenever possible, enhance the environment," said Jim Weber, president and CEO of Brooks. "Sharing BioMoGo presents a chance for greater environmental impact beyond Brooks and supports the spirit with which it was created."

Without losing durability or performance, BioMoGo will begin to break down only wh
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