CONSUMER INTELLIGENCE
The diagnostic engine of the platform.
22 min read
The Certification Void
Seven logos on one shoe. None of them verify what you think they verify. The standard that should exist does not.
Six major certifications mapped against six sustainability requirements. Most cells are empty. The comprehensive footwear standard does not exist. Here is the audit.
By Sable Chen
16 min read
The Foam Lie
Your sneaker's midsole is petroleum plastic renamed. "Bio-based" versions swap the feedstock but keep the immortality.
Sneaker "foam" is ethylene vinyl acetate -- a petroleum copolymer that persists for centuries. Bio-based versions produce the same immortal plastic from sugarcane.
By Sable Chen
28 min read
The Slipper Problem
Four petroleum polymers against bare skin, eight hours a day, in conditions that maximise chemical migration. No one has measured what happens next.
Mass-market slippers are polyester, polyurethane, PVC, and adhesive worn barefoot for hours daily. The migration study that should exist does not. Here is why.
By Sable Chen
9 min read
The First Case Was 1979
What Your Cat Licks Off Its Fur
Feline hyperthyroidism was first described in 1979 and was extremely rare before the late 1970s. Cats have 20-100x higher flame retardant levels than humans. The grooming pathway is the transfer mechanism.
By Sable Chen
13 min read
Your Baby Is Inhaling Plastic
The Sensory Blindspot That Regulation Missed
Polyester soft toys shed fibres your lungs can't feel. The softest room in your home has the highest airborne microplastic concentration.
By Sable Chen
19 min read
The Soft Exemption
What Silicone's Comfort Conceals
Silicone feels medical. That's a design achievement, not a safety finding. 84% of tested kitchenware showed endocrine activity under accelerated migration testing.
By Sable Chen
12 min read
The Pump Problem
Who Really Manages Your "Sustainable" Refillables
Coca-Cola runs closed-loop systems for cola. Consumer brands transfer pump failures to you. The sustainable choice reduced their waste, not yours.
By Sable Chen
14 min read
The Waterproof Gap — Is Sustainable Waterproof Footwear Even Possible?
The properties that make a material waterproof are the inverse of the properties that make it biodegrade — or so we thought.
The molecular trade-off was real — until plant-cured rubber proved it could be engineered around. For sneakers, the problem is solved. For wellington boots? Not yet.
By Sable Chen
9 min read
Wellington Boots — What Lasts in the Body, What Lasts in the Ground
"Natural rubber" means 15-85% latex. The rest is vulcanization chemistry that persists 100+ years in soil.
"Natural rubber" means 15-85% latex. The rest is vulcanization chemistry that persists 100+ years in soil. The label didn't mention that.
By Sable Chen
10 min read
The Plastic Boot — What Your Synthetic Wellies Are Actually Made Of
PVC boots transfer phthalates to the insole touching your skin. The label won't tell you.
PVC wellington boots contain 40-70% phthalates by weight. Within six months, 90% migrates from sole to insole—the material touching your skin daily.
By Sable Chen