The Israeli company Balena ensures the sustainable production of materials used in the fashion industry and offers footwear brands the opportunity to create shoes that are identical in appearance and style to their current range, but made of sustainable raw materials. The company recently unveiled printed flip flops that it claims are made of 100% biodegradable elastomer.
In 2021, the size of the global market for biodegradable plastics was estimated at $4.1 billion and is expected to grow at a rate of 9.7%. Balena’s goal is to become a leading materials science company in biomaterials solutions and reinvent the products, services, complex supply chains and entire industries where they can be used. The company started by creating sustainable alternatives to thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and now creates biodegradable and bio-based solutions for every conventional and polluting plastic across all industries.
The flagship material of the company is BioCir – the first durable, flexible and comfortable alternative to plastics in the fashion industry. The BioCir material can be used in injection molding and 3D printing, and can be produced on a large scale. The company claims that the composition of the material makes it an ideal alternative to toxic shoe materials that are harmful to the environment.
To prove the complete circulation of products made of material, Balena developed flip flops – the first product made entirely of BioCir, designed and manufactured in Italy. Slippers – dyed and scented with natural cinnamon, were launched in 2022 in Tel Aviv and quickly sold out.
By developing and creating the first product, the company was able to demonstrate a fully functional life cycle of the material – from development, through production, use, to decommissioning in an industrial composting plant. With the BioCir Slides take-back program, the slippers are collected, assembled and composted at composting facilities, ensuring safe decomposition and biodegradation of the material.
Source: www.balena.science
Photo: www.balena.science (press materials / all rights reserved)
