Modern day athletic shoes are filled with foam – quite literally. Foam is used to provide padding around the collar, to cushion the footbed, it can be used to line, and even make, uppers. Today, one of the major uses for foam in the sneaker world is to make midsoles. When you read the specs of the latest and greatest runners to hit the market the abbreviations and acronyms can seem like a foreign language, EVA, PU, SBR – what does it all mean? Let’s take a look at the humble building block that is foam.