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Partnership highlights importance of new uses for soybeans
US soybean oil is being used in a new line of shoes by Sketchers in collaboration with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.
The soles of the shoes use the same rubber technology that Goodyear uses in its tires.
New York Soybean Farmer Ralph Lott is a United Soybean Board Director.
“Everything we can use soybean oil for to make another product that’s going to be used by end users is great,” he says.
USB regularly collaborates with Goodyear, through the soybean checkoff, on research to learn how to incorporate soy into its technology.
“Goodyear started soybean oil in the tires and then they had this collaboration with Sketchers so it’s now in shoes, so who knows where it can go,” he says.
Lott says there are many different soy-based products available including asphalt, synthetic motor oil, machinery lubricants, and more. He says USB is committed to expanding new uses and building demand for US soybean farmers.
“(USB) looks at hundreds of projects each year and whittle them down to ones we have money for so we can make these investments like this and then hopefully they’re successful.”
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Audio: Ralph Lott, United Soybean Board