prototyping footprints

In an age of uninterrupted linear consumption and the resulting increase in environmental pollution and continuous scarcity of resources, existing production and consumption patterns need to be rethought and redesigned. Shoes, as our everyday wearables, represent a huge part of this problem: An increasing number of materials made from solid and barely recyclable composites are worn for shorter and short- er periods of time and are predominantly incinerated or landfilled after use. EU regulations are setting new parameters in the area of consumer goods: They offer the potential to create room for new concepts and at the same time harbour the risk of achieving only mar- ginal adjustments in the affected sectors. Accordingly, the design of new product and utilisation concepts has a major influence.
In the residency, future-proof ideas for footwear are explored and realised. In the preceding months, the BurgLabs have created preliminary work on this topic, which serves as a starting point for the discussion. The BioLab offered a space for active experimentation with alternative microbial materials. Working together with the SustainLab, systemic issues were addressed and a cross-life cycle view of the design of the shoe of tomorrow is taken.