Changeing Footprints

Every second, 1,533 shoes are manufactured worldwide. They consist of up to 60 materials, which—as a complex material composite—are barely recyclable. To close circular loops and drastically reduce the environmental impact, the materials used must be separable or biodegradable. “Changing Footprints” demonstrates how a shoe can be produced using only two materials. By combining robotically controlled fiber casting and dip-molding, PHA and hemp fibers are combined into a complex, biodegradable product. Using vacuum, the fibers are gradually drawn onto a shoe last, skipping the elaborate step of traditional textile production, trimming and sewing. Precise, robotically controlled movements generate multiple layers with variable layer thicknesses and functional properties in just a few seconds.

In this way, the same technical properties expected from today’s footwear can be maintained in a single production step using just two biodegradable materials. The two-piece CF:01 consists of foamed PHA midsole, which can be fully recycled, and an outer shell that is customisable and made out of PHA and hemp fibres. Consequently, no lasting trace is left in the environment throughout the entire product lifecycle. Furthermore, a repair program allows the sole to be renewed locally and in a fully automated manner, significantly extending its lifespan. By combining local waste materials with digital production, “Changing Footprints” exemplifies how manufacturing processes can be rethought to utilise the synergies between sustainable raw material cultivation and robotics in a single production step.