Everyone knows a gal’s gotta have her shoes. For me, the arrival of a new pair from Zappos or Amazon makes my heart flutter. I’m happy to learn this week, PUMA has announced they will toss the standard cardboard shoebox for a bag. Stay with me…

This new design concept has been named, “The Clever Little Bag” and should roll out later this year, just in time for the holiday season. Yves Behar’s development is a single folded sheet of cardboard in a reusable, recyclable bag, promised to protect the shoes from the time they leave the factory until they arrive to their final destination, i.e. my closet. PUMA reports the new packaging and manufacturing will reduce the paper used for shoeboxes by 65%, and it plans to make the remaining packaging materials fully sustainable by 2015.

Here are the stats (manufacturing to distribution):

• Approximately 8,500 tons less paper will be consumed
• 20 million Megajoules of electricity will be saved
• 1 million liters less fuel oil will be used
• 1 million liters of water will be saved
• Up to 275 tons of plastic will be saved thanks to the replacement of traditional shopping bags with the lighter built-in bag

The bag itself is actually stitched with heat and it is made of non-woven polyester and is also recyclable. Why throw it away when you can use it around the house or as a shoe carrier during travel though? As a shoe lover who fully supports sustainability on all levels, I am digging the introduction of this Clever Little Bag and what it represents for the industry. I can’t wait for the day when plastic shopping bags are long gone and we can rely on our favorite brands to fully commit to providing us tangible alternatives.

With most photos being captured digitally and stored on photo-sharing sites, it seems like the old-school use for the standard shoebox just aren’t needed anymore. I’ve been a PUMA wearer for a long time, but this move just encourages me to support the brand and its mission to improve our environmental standards.

Now just to figure out what to do with all those old high school pictures.

Check it out here.