These biodegradable shoes can be dissolved when their life on the road is over
Would you buy shoes that were 100% biodegradable?
What if you could make those old worn out running shoes just… disappear?
That idea isn’t as outlandish as it sounds. With their new biodegradable shoes, Adidas may have found the answer to runners’ environmental concerns while also finding a way to cut the clutter on the shoe rack.
Called the Futurecraft Biofabric shoe, these sneakers use an upper that can be completely dissolved when mixed in a particular water-enzyme solution. The thread used to make this upper is designed to replicate natural silk and was created by Adidas partner AMSilk– a company out of Germany.
READ MORE: Adidas to make a million pairs of running shoes from ocean plastic in 2017
Their “Biosteel” technology which makes up the upper is fully biodegradable, vegan, non allergenic and is said to be 15 per cent lighter than other fabrics in their category.
But if they are biodegradable, will they disintegrate when taken outdoors on a rainy day? The answer is no. These shoes are strong enough to stand up to elements that runners come in contact with frequently– rain, puddles, slush, snow, mud– because they only dissolve once put in a set solution.
The idea of using natural, environmentally-friendly materials isn’t new. Many forward-thinking people are getting together on projects like this using yeast, bacteria, mushrooms, etc. to create man-made products that are friendlier to the earth.
As for Adidas specifically, the company has made headlines before for designing a shoe made entirely of recycled ocean plastic.
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