In order to develop OrthoLite CirqlTM, the first circular foam material solution for footwear in the world, OrthoLite®, the global supplier of sustainable, performance, and comfort insoles and footwear materials solutions, has announced an exclusive partnership with Novamont, the international innovator in the development, production, and eco-design of biodegradable and compostable bioplastics and biochemicals.
In order to create the first technology capable of significantly reducing the high-impact of the manufacturing process with a variety of end-of-life disposal options, OrthoLite Cirql foam, a patented footwear material, combines OrthoLite’s 26 years of experience and innovation in foaming polymers with Novamont’s internationally renowned bio-based, compostable, and recyclable polymer.
Running in a typical pair of running shoes produces the same amount of carbon dioxide as a 100-watt light bulb: 14 kg/30 pounds. according to a new Life Cycle Assessment by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for a week (MIT). In the United States alone, more than 300 million pairs of shoes are thrown each year, with 95% of them ending up in landfills.
In 2023, OrthoLite Cirql will offer traditional, plastic-free, scaleable, and fully circular material to its 500+ footwear brand partners and manufacturing stakeholders.
The path to entirely circular footwear is shown by OrthoLite Cirql, according to Glenn Barrett, CEO and Founder of OrthoLite. They are overjoyed to be collaborating with Novamont to produce scalable solutions that will encourage advancement in the footwear industry. This partnership is built on openness, honesty, and a relentless commitment to provide access to their 500+ worldwide footwear brand partners. to round materials, starting with the midsole, from a single supplier.
OrthoLite sought out the high-tech bio-polymer company because of Novamont’s ground-breaking work in the circular bioeconomy and its 30 years of experience developing chemical and biotechnological processes to create low-impact certified biodegradable and compostable solutions with a variety of end-of-life options for daily life, including packaging, separating organic waste collection, retail purchasing, disposable tableware, farming, and lubricants.
According to Catia Bastioli, CEO and Founder of Novamont, the company has always based its strategy on the development of products conceived as true catalysts for change, capable of causing effects that are much more profound than the product itself and not just as simple replacements for conventional products. ones. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to say that.
OrthoLite Cirql is made with traditional non-GMO plant-based raw materials and synthetic biodegradable components; it is also free of “forever chemicals” and responsibly sourced. The material can be reused by employing low-energy, cutting-edge chemical recycling to help keep it in use or by returning it to nature as fully compostable by using particular industrial composting methods and processors. Working with shoes will be necessary for scalable end-of-life management. Along with current and upcoming closed loop, take back, recycling streams for footwear, brands and the waste management sector. The particles in OrthoLite Cirql will biodegrade similarly to cellulose and other natural polymers, reducing the accumulation of persistent microplastics.
