An Israeli company, Balena, has developed BioCir, a biobased material that is fully recyclable or biodegradable (in commercial composting facilities). Three variants of the material are available with BioCirflex and BioCirFlex3D, containing only 50-85% bio-based content, while BioCirX is 95-100% bio-based.
BioCirFlex has been used by Lemon Jelly to create a limited edition, reasonably priced (90 euros) handbag available in deep black and distinct amber yellow, featuring a sleek matte finish. At the end-of-life, the bag can be returned to be recycled into new bags or sent to an industrial compost facility.
The company has also teamed up with Stella McCartney to launch S-Wave Sport trainers made from the same material, which is made from sustainable sources like castor beans, oils, and polysaccharides, ensuring it does not compete with food resources. This plastic replacement has been dyed with natural cinnamon to avoid the use of toxic chemicals, with the added bonus that the footwear smells of the spice! Although it is not entirely clear from the information available exactly what proportion of the shoe is made from this material, although it appears likely the other materials are hemp and recycled fibres.
With 24 billion shoes made every year, making more sustainable footwear is an imperative. A video explaining the complexities of making fully biodegradable footwear can be found on Business Insider. A comparison of seven brands of footwear claiming to be bio-based and biodegradable found only one brand that was completely bio-based, and only one brand (Blueview) showed signs of fully composting, but even that took at least 14 months, and the shoes are ugly – sorry!