Israel launched 100% biodegradable sandals with fragrance
On December 7, Balena, a material science company that aims to change the fashion industry, announced the launch of eco-chic BioCir sandals, which are made of its proprietary 100% biodegradable plastic, aiming to help the fashion industry end the unsustainable amount of plastic waste and start the use of biodegradable plastic in shoes and other clothing. Balena's BioCir is a fully plastic and biodegradable elastomer, which provides a feasible alternative to the polluting plastic materials currently used by fashion brands in clothing and footwear.
In order to show the exciting potential of this unique technology, Balena launched its fully compostable men's and women's slippers for the first time. These slippers were designed and manufactured in Italy, and made entirely of BioCir. The thousandth pair was launched in Tel Aviv, the hometown of the company. These BioCir slippers - colored and scented with natural cinnamon - have been worn by fashion and comfort lovers throughout the city, allowing their feet to set foot on the green future first.
As part of its debut, Balena also launched a full cycle system - bio cycling, which is conducive to the treatment and complete biodegradation of its BioCir slippers in the industrial composting environment. Once the customer has used the slippers, they can return them to the designated recycling point in the whole city, collect them there, and conduct complete biodegradation in the local industrial composting facilities, instead of throwing them into the garbage on the way to the landfill. This model aims to reduce the contribution of fashion to plastic waste, which can be replicated around the world.
The world's obsession with fast fashion leads to an alarming amount of clothing and footwear waste every year. It is estimated that 92 million tons of textile waste are produced every year in the world, and only 12% of clothing materials are recycled. Balena's mission is to change this situation by creating a complete cycle model, which relies on the power of compost to reduce the impact of fashion on the global environment.
Balena's exclusive BioCir 100 compostable plastic is durable, flexible, soft and smooth, which makes it a perfect substitute for current polluting shoe materials, and allows the brand to develop shoes with the same appearance and feel as the current products. This biodegradable material can be treated like any other material and used for conventional injection molding process and 3D printing, which provide unlimited manufacturing opportunities. It can be easily integrated into conventional manufacturing processes and replicated on a global scale, thus greatly reducing the entry threshold of manufacturers. Balena's pioneering slippers are the ultimate proof of concept to prove the durability, practicality and comfort of BioCir.
"The global fashion industry is one of the largest pollution sources in the world. In Balena, our goal is to help reverse this situation," said David Roubach, founder and CEO of Balena. "We are achieving this goal by creating our own feasible biodegradable plastic substitutes and complete recycling systems, which can be easily expanded, copied and pasted around the world. We hope that our BioCir footwear will show the world that there is a real choice: fashion can be mythical, functional and environmentally friendly. We are proud to be a company that opens the door for any fashion brand "
