The world of outdoor gear, while often associated with pristine landscapes and environmental appreciation, isn’t always a shining example of sustainability. But Noah Swartz, a fourth-generation shoemaker with a passion for the desert and a vision for a greener future, is determined to change that. Leaving behind his studies at Harvard Business School, Swartz launched Erem footwear in late 2021, a company dedicated to crafting high-performance desert gear with a radical commitment to environmental responsibility. This is the story of how one man, armed with a family legacy and a fervent desire to protect the planet, is setting out to disrupt the hiking boot market.
Swartz’s mission is ambitious: to revolutionize how the outdoor industry designs, manufactures, and ultimately disposes of its products. Recognizing the inherent environmental impact of creating material goods, Swartz is challenging the status quo and striving to minimize the industry’s footprint. Erem footwear isn’t just about creating boots; it’s about creating a sustainable system.
The initial offering from Erem, the Xerocole boot, immediately signaled Swartz’s intentions. Designed specifically for the unique demands of desert environments, the Xerocole comes in men’s and women’s mid-top versions suitable for hiking and backpacking, as well as a high-top version built for more extreme desert adventures. Swartz emphasizes that the Xerocole is the first high-performance hiking boot meticulously engineered for the desert, prioritizing breathability, ruggedness, and comfort. Each boot weighs approximately 1.5 pounds (depending on the size) and features aggressive 6-millimeter lugs designed to provide exceptional grip on the often-slippery surfaces found in desert terrains.
Beyond the technical specifications, the true significance of Erem lies in its origin story and its potential to inspire a paradigm shift within the outdoor industry. How a Fourth-Generation Bootmaker Aims to Upend the Hiking Boot Market is a compelling narrative of innovation, sustainability, and a deep-seated commitment to environmental stewardship.
The Swartz family’s history in the shoe industry stretches back to 1952 when Noah’s great-grandfather, Nathan Swartz, an immigrant to the United States, purchased a half-interest in the Abington Shoe Company. This marked the beginning of a classic American success story. Nathan Swartz diligently worked his way up, eventually acquiring full ownership of the company and passing it on to his sons. In 1973, the company underwent a significant transformation, rebranding itself as The Timberland Company, a name inspired by its groundbreaking waterproof boot model, the Timberland.
Decades later, Jeffrey Swartz, Noah’s father, assumed leadership of the family business in the late 1990s. After 15 years at the helm, Jeffrey Swartz made the decision to sell the company to VF Corporation for a substantial $2 billion, intending to retire from the shoe industry altogether.
Ironically, despite his family’s deep roots in shoemaking, Noah Swartz initially pursued a different path. "My parents had no desire or interest for me being in the shoe business or outdoor industry," Noah Swartz explained. However, his life took an unexpected turn when he discovered the allure of the desert.
The desert, with its stark beauty and unforgiving environment, captivated Swartz. "I fell for the desert," he confessed, struggling to articulate the profound impact it had on him. "What I feel in the desert is a sense of perspective I feel no place else on Earth. It makes you feel your place in the universe very particularly because it’s not a gentle place. It’s really grounding. You have to be in the moment."
His initial experiences in the desert were both transformative and a bit painful. On his first visit to Joshua Tree National Park, Swartz immediately stepped on a cholla cactus ball, which became embedded in his ankle, leaving a lasting scar. "That, to me, is the desert," Swartz said. "It demands you have to be in the moment. That’s my introduction to the desert."
During a winter break from Harvard Business School, where he was pursuing an MBA, Swartz and his wife embarked on a hike in Southwestern Utah. The dramatic temperature fluctuations, ranging from below freezing to the 50s, resulted in painful blisters. As a fourth-generation bootmaker, Swartz couldn’t help but scrutinize the footwear he and others were wearing, recognizing a gap in the market for gear specifically designed for such challenging environments.
"Why are there no products or brands focused on the landscapes and challenges like this?" Swartz wondered. This question sparked the idea that would eventually become Erem. He first approached his father, Jeffrey, with the concept. His father initially responded with skepticism, but then acknowledged the potential.
Together, the father-son duo agreed that if they were to re-enter the shoe market, they would do so with a fundamentally different approach, one that prioritized top-tier desert performance alongside unwavering sustainability. "The desert just ratchets up the stakes a little more. It tends to strip away the BS," Swartz explained. "And that’s how we’re trying to live this business with a different type of urgency from a values standpoint."
Swartz decided to put his MBA studies on hold, a decision he embraces with a sense of pride. "I’m probably the only Harvard Business School student to drop out in order to start a desert boot company, and I’ve very proud of that," he quipped.
The first crucial step was to develop a truly sustainable and high-performing product. Swartz leveraged his family’s extensive network within the Timberland organization, recruiting Pete Lankford, Timberland’s former design director, as his first employee. Lankford and Swartz embarked on a mission to create a product inspired by natural processes, specifically the carbon cycle. This led them to adopt a groundbreaking concept previously unheard of in hiking boot production: biocircularity.
Swartz’s explanation of biocircular design is akin to an engaging earth science or biology lecture. In essence, biocircularity involves replacing conventional materials like nylon, polyester, and plastics with materials that naturally decompose, such as cork, leather, and TENCEL fiber. The ultimate goal is to create products that, at the end of their lifespan, can safely return to the earth. Imagine throwing a pair of Xerocole boots in your garden and watching them gradually break down into their natural components.
Swartz views biocircularity as "sustainability 2.0." He characterizes "sustainability 1.0" as the current industry standard, which focuses on removing harmful chemicals and incorporating recycled materials. While these efforts are commendable, Swartz believes they fall short of achieving true sustainability.
"Their (other footwear brands) view is to remove as much crap as they can until it’s in your hands, then you’re on the hook for this product," Swartz said. "That’s been the view of sustainability. Our view is that that’s radically incomplete and kind of ridiculous."
Swartz’s "sustainability 2.0" theory encompasses a second critical element: products should have a valuable and beneficial second life. He believes that businesses have a responsibility to provide consumers with the opportunity and incentive to ensure their products are repurposed or recycled.
Swartz asserts that "the business shouldn’t be on the hook until the cash register rings. It should be on the hook until [the product] eventually returns to its next useful life."
To encourage product returns, Erem offers customers credit towards their next pair of boots when they send in their worn boots. The company can then reclaim materials from the used boots and incorporate them into new products. Without incentives for product return and the capacity to break down products into their natural components, Swartz likens outdoor gear to a single-use plastic water bottle.
"Everyone understands that what happens to a single-use plastic water bottle at the end of its lifespan is not good," Swartz said. "But that is essentially what outdoor gear is today. We should not be selling customers plastic water bottles but saying, ‘hey, guess what, we removed stuff from the chemicals.’ It’s a linear system that’s extractive, poisonous to the Earth, and really bad. We want to move from that system towards following this natural system. No matter what the customer wants to do with our boots, we want to make sure it has a safe and responsible next life."
This commitment to sustainability presents numerous challenges. For instance, Erem uses a linen outsole thread for stitching, a material that hasn’t been commonly used in the industry for over half a century. While the thread constitutes only 0.3 percent of the boot’s volume, sourcing and implementing it caused a three-month delay in the product’s launch. "We’re very proud of that choice," Swartz maintains.
The Xerocole is positioned as a premium product, priced at $190. Swartz emphasizes that Erem is a business, and he, along with his father and the rest of the team, are committed to building a successful enterprise. Swartz firmly believes that the larger the company grows, the greater its potential to positively impact the planet.
"We don’t expect to build a business on sustainability," he said. "We expect to build a business on performance that allows you to not compromise your values in the process." How a Fourth-Generation Bootmaker Aims to Upend the Hiking Boot Market is an ongoing journey, and the impact of Erem on the outdoor industry remains to be seen.
Erem is also undertaking initiatives beyond the boots themselves, such as a plan to plant one million prickly pear cacti, further demonstrating their commitment to environmental restoration.
Ultimately, How a Fourth-Generation Bootmaker Aims to Upend the Hiking Boot Market showcases the power of combining entrepreneurial spirit with a genuine concern for the environment. Noah Swartz and Erem footwear are not just selling boots; they are selling a vision of a more sustainable future for the outdoor industry and beyond. The success of this vision could redefine how we approach manufacturing and consumption in a world increasingly aware of its environmental responsibilities. The boot market will have to keep up with Erem to not fall behind.
