Cole Haan’s new shoes are made from dandelions
Rubber from weeds dates back to World War II shortages—and now it’s back, in FlowerFoam.
In December 1941, the U.S. was bombed by Japan and pulled into World War II. During the weeks that followed, Americans were told to get ready to give something up: rubber. The U.S. was cut off from 90% of the world’s rubber supply, tapped from rubber trees in Southeast Asia. So everything from men’s work boots to car tires became tightly controlled commodities.