Portugal wants to be an international reference in the development of sustainable solutions in the footwear industry and is currently one of the most advanced countries in the production of sustainable footwear soles.
The incorporation of recycled material or the use of biomaterials in the soles are increasingly the bet of the future and we can prove it through several brands that are making this in their brands.
Vapesol, a company specialized in the production of soles, presents several solutions with the most diverse materials. Some examples are Bio-Based soles, made from materials partly derived from plants; the Eva Green soles, the most recent sustainable innovation, composed of a resin produced from sugar cane; the Recycled Pet Bottles soles, that uses plastic bottles in their composition or the Nitrile Gloves soles, composed by nitrile examination gloves. They also have soles with other innovative materials, such as tires, seaweed, cork and rice husks.
There are also some footwear brands that are investing in sustainable soles, such as J-UNK, a sustainable footwear brand, whose differential is in the use of hoses damaged in fires in their footwear. The result? Shoes with recycled hoses, with the same durability and quality. Another footwear brand is Luca Mott, which is investing in the production of soles with surfboards leftovers and the company ISI Soles, that has developed new soles from used tennis balls.
Through the Footwear Cluster Action Plan for Sustainability, Portugal intends to become by 2030 the world leader in the development of sustainable solutions and the brands in the sector are increasingly striving to develop sustainable solutions to help the environment.