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The wildly complex anatomy of a sneaker - Angel Chang

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19,415 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Australians call them “runners." The British know them as “trainers.” Americans refer to them as “sneakers.” Whatever you call them, these casual shoes are worn by billions of people around the world. Today, roughly 23 billion shoes are produced each year. So, how can we balance our love of sneakers with the need for sustainability? Angel Chang explores how shoe manufacturing impacts our planet.

Sneaker consumption will continue to rise as the global population increases and people need to wear shoes. Do you think it is more effective to: urge brands to adopt more sustainable manufacturing processes, or encourage people to buy fewer shoes?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Angel Chang
  • Director Ella Dobson
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Animator Ella Dobson
  • Art Director Ella Dobson
  • Compositor Ella Dobson
  • Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
  • Music Stephen LaRosa
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Associate Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Emma Bryce
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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