14 DAY TRIAL // We’ve so far seen artworks, gifts, furniture, boats, or even buildings made from recycled plastic bottles, so there is basically nothing you can’t do when you have enough imagination.
But how about a pair of shoes made from post-consumer plastic bottles? This is what New Balance is bringing us, with the launch of their latest collection: newSKY.
In manufacturing the new footwear line, the American label has used a fleece-like material called Eco-fi for the upper side of the new sneaker, and which is made from 95% PET plastic bottles.
“The principles of shoemaking didn’t necessarily apply to this fabric,” said Drew Spieth, design lead for wellness at New Balance. “It doesn’t work like a regular shoe material.”
According to New Balance, just eight bottles are needed to make a pair, and 12 bottles to produce one pound of fiber.
The process of turning PET into Eco-fi fabric is as follows: the plastic bottles are chopped into flakes and then synthetic fiber company Foss Manufacturing melts the flakes and molds them into fibers. These are then weaved together to create a strong and versatile polyester fabric.
The company praises Eco-fi as a durable and comfortable fabric, 10% lighter than cotton and that keeps out the cold better than wool or nylon thanks to great thermal conductivity.
It is hydrophobic so it repels water and it has been treated with Fosshield, which reportedly inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold, mildew and fungus.
“A typical shoe has a lot of different types of materials,” added Spieth. “What’s really interesting about this is, aside from the foam and the little rubber components [on the outsole] and a little bit of water based glue, the only material here is the recycled fabric.”
“It was a big goal to keep it functional and looking stylish,” he concludes. “At the end of the day, it looks like an interesting shoe and also looks great on the foot.”