Ecomaterials Lab: Footwear without a footprint
Shoe designers have long been at the forefront of eco-conscious design and construction. Given that shoes, especially sneakers, are made from a variety of (mostly) petroleum-based materials, this market is ripe for greening.
Lately, scientists and shoe manufacturers have been coming up with novel ways to phase out the synthetic materials traditionally used in favor of more eco-friendly, biodegradable options.
Ecomaterials Lab participant Richard Wool and his team in the Chemical Engineering department at the University of Delaware have recently teamed with the department of Fashion and Apparel Studies to design footwear and apparel using renewable sources.
As co-principal investigator on the project, Wool and his students are working to develop materials from plant oils and chicken feathers that the fashion design and merchandising students can then use to create prototypes of an environmentally sustainable coat and pair of shoes. Shoe giant Reebok has even helped the team to develop the shoe prototype.
Other innovative companies working on green shoe initiatives include:
- Dutch company OAT debuted a new line at Amsterdam International Fashion Week that featured sneakers with a biodegradable canvas upper and a seed-embedded cork sole. The new 2011 Virgin Collection features six styles in four colors.
- LA-based Industry of All Nations has produced a 100% biodegradable slip-on featuring a rope sole that is hand-woven by Uruguayan villagers using a century-old production technique.
- Brooks, meanwhile, has introduced the BioMoGo insole that biodegrades 50 times faster than traditional insoles. Brooks estimates that BioMoGo technology can save nearly 30 million pounds of landfill waste over 25 years.
via University of Delaware and Trend Central.
Image: OAT Shoes
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