Disclaimer: The results will be a bit skewed as I was not able to obtain all the information necessary. Mainly, I wasn't able to find out where all the materials came from nor where exactly in China the shoes were made.
From what I was able to find, I calculated the carbon footprint of TOMS shoes as if I purchased it from where I currently reside: Providence, RI
In calculating the carbon footprint, I used the shipping emissions factor from the Carbon Fund, the nation's leading non-profit provider of carbon offsets and climate solutions. The emission factors the Carbon Fund used were obtained from the EPA's Climate Leaders Greenhouse Gas Inventory Protocol. The EPA, in calculating carbon emissions included the carbon dioxide equivalency for methane and nitrous oxide, 2 common greenhouse gases with significant global warming potentials.
Part 1: Transporting the shoes from the factory to the US warehouse
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| From China to Valencia, CA |
Distance: 6862.759miles
Method of Transport: Boat
Carbon footprint of Boat: .105lbs of Carbon Dioxide per Ton per mile
Weight of each shoe: 2.2lbs (used the shipping weight of a pair of shoes from Amazon.com)
Part 2: Transporting the shoes from the warehouse to my residence
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| Valencia, CA to Providence, RI |
Distance: 2584.141miles
Method of Transport: Truck
Carbon footprint of Truck: .654lbs Carbon Dioxide per Ton per mile
Total Carbon Footprint to get 1 pair of TOMS shoes to Providence = 2.655 lbs of Carbon Dioxide
That doesn't sound all that bad considering that 1 gallon of gasoline emits ~20 lbs of carbon dioxide. Most people use more than a gallon of gas commuting to/from work each day. Even if you don't drive or commute much, in an average day, a person living in Providence, RI would consume 22.95lbs of carbon dioxide from electricity and heating. Since people wear shoes for quite some time (I go through a pair around every 2yrs), it seems as though the carbon impact is minimal. That amounts to ~.00364lbs of carbon dioxide used per day from wearing TOMS shoes.
Method of Transport: Truck
Carbon footprint of Truck: .654lbs Carbon Dioxide per Ton per mile
Total Carbon Footprint to get 1 pair of TOMS shoes to Providence = 2.655 lbs of Carbon Dioxide
That doesn't sound all that bad considering that 1 gallon of gasoline emits ~20 lbs of carbon dioxide. Most people use more than a gallon of gas commuting to/from work each day. Even if you don't drive or commute much, in an average day, a person living in Providence, RI would consume 22.95lbs of carbon dioxide from electricity and heating. Since people wear shoes for quite some time (I go through a pair around every 2yrs), it seems as though the carbon impact is minimal. That amounts to ~.00364lbs of carbon dioxide used per day from wearing TOMS shoes.
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