Running shoes.

• Position: Life-Cycle Studies

Running shoes are quintessential symbols of the global consumer economy. Made mainly in poor countries, they are sold mainly to the rich. They are iconic symbols of speed and success. About 80 percent of the athletic shoes sold by Nike, the largest company in the industry with sales of more than $9 billion per year, are not used for any athletic activity.

Final Disposal

Most running shoes are discarded after a few months, when the midsole EVA has compressed and lost some of its cushioning. The rest of the shoe may be in fine condition, but it is thrown out anyway. Nike is offering a new racing model, the Mayfly ($45 retail), which is designed to last just 100 kilometers (62 miles), or 5 to 7 hours, before it must be discarded.

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Marketing

In a consumer culture infatuated with notions of quick success, shoe marketers appeal to our dreams of magical transformation--the ability to suddenly improve performance with the stroke of a credit card. A key part of the appeal is the offering of ever more advanced technology. A new Adidas model, the Adidas 1, contains a computer chip that purportedly measures the amount of compression in your heel 1,000 times per second and adjusts the cushioning as needed.

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Social and Environmental Impacts

Running shoes epitomize the dilemma of a civilization in which people who live well are more likely to be environmentally conscious--but living well often comes at a heavy environmental cost. These shoes have helped millions to reconnect with nature and maintain greater health and fitness through trail running and hiking; yet the shoes are products of gross economic and social inequities and heavy reliance on oil. If Reebok were willing to reallocate one-tenth of its $435 million marketing budget, it could double...