U.S. Soy Shoes Donated to Frontline Workers

Soy checkoff commends footwear company’s pledge to donate 10,000 pairs of soy-based sandals to health care workers amid COVID-19.

ST. LOUIS (June 15, 2020) — U.S. Soy is helping bring comfort to health care professionals who are working tirelessly on the frontlines during COVID-19. Okabashi, an American company that counts on U.S. soy for all its sandals, pledged to donate up to 10,000 pairs of soy-based sandals to health care workers for every order placed through their website or Zappos.

“We’ve already donated over 5,000 pairs so far, and still counting!” said Okabashi President Kim Falkenhayn. “We are sending them all over the country. Now more than ever, we’re all in this together.”

Only 2% of shoe companies operate in the U.S., and Okabashi is proud to source American materials, including U.S.-grown soybean oil. Okabashi committed to producing their footwear with sustainable and renewable materials using soybean oil to displace petroleum. The company’s shoes are approximately 45% U.S. soy by weight. U.S. Soy meets Okabashi’s high standards for performance, offering both strength and softness, as well as qualifies them to be recognized as a USDA Certified Biobased Product in the USDA’s BioPreferred Program.

With large-scale soybean production in the U.S. — U.S. soybean farmers produced more than 11 million metric tons of soybean oil in 2018 alone — Okabashi has the reliable supply of materials they need for this large-scale donation.

Customers can purchase a pair of soy sandals for themselves and write a note of encouragement to a health care worker who will receive a pair directly from Okabashi with the personal message. The soy checkoff is proud to recognize a U.S. soy customer that is donating soy-based products to the health care sector. The health care and agriculture industries share a commitment to the safety and security of our communities, while bolstering our economy during these difficult times.

“It’s neat to see the soybeans I grow not only being used in a unique way that supports demand for our product, but also to support frontline workers during this crisis,” said soy checkoff farmer-leader Belinda Burrier. “It’s one of the reasons I’m proud to grow soybeans. It shows the importance of continuing to look for new ways that U.S. Soy and our partners can give back to communities across the country.”

This donation is just one of the many that U.S. Soy is proud to be a part of. With other partners, soybean farmers have helped provide meals of U.S. pork to food insecure families through the Drive to Feed Kids program and bottles of soy-based hand sanitizer to the New York City Fire Department, facilitated by the National Biodiesel Board. The New York Corn and Soybean Growers and SYNLawn, a company that uses U.S. soy in its artificial grass, also joined NBB and the New York Fire Department Incident Management Team to provide hundreds of meals from New York restaurants to firefighters, dispatchers, mechanics and other essential employees.

“These donations showcase not only the versatility and growing industrial uses the soybean checkoff is working to secure for our farmers, but also the sense of community U.S. Soy has with these partners,” said USB Vice President of Communications and Marketing Strategy Mace Thornton. “We’ve made it a priority to leverage these partnerships and collaborations to expand the use soybean oil and step up in times of need.”

USB regularly collaborates with companies such as Goodyear on research to learn how to incorporate soy into new technology. Today, there are more than 1,000 different soy-based products available, including everything from turf grass to machinery lubricants to asphalt. USB is committed to continuing its work to research, develop and expand new uses, build demand for U.S. soybean farmers and improve infrastructure to outlast times of crisis.

To learn more about these innovations and soy-based products, visit soynewuses.org or unitedsoybean.org.

About United Soybean Board: United Soybean Board’s 78 volunteer farmer-directors work on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers to achieve maximum value for their soy checkoff investments. These volunteers invest and leverage checkoff funds in programs and partnerships to drive soybean innovation beyond the bushel and increase preference for U.S. soy. That preference is based on U.S. soybean meal and oil quality and the sustainability of U.S. soybean farmers. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff. For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit unitedsoybean.org.

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Media Contacts:

Paul Murphy-Spooner at United Soybean Board, 515.975.6584

Mace Thornton at United Soybean Board, mthornton@unitedsoybean.org

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