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Surprising Science

New Biodegradable Shoes Made From Vegetables

Spanish shoe company One Moment has created a shoe that you can toss into your compost after you've worn them out.

What’s the Latest Development?


Most shoes today are manufactured with a variety of thermoplastics, synthetic fibers and foam that are less than ideal for the environment. Huge shoe companies like Puma and Nike have recently started using recycled materials in new lines of shoes to lessen their environmental impact. Spanish shoe company One Moment is going even further by manufacturing footwear “from soft and durable bioplastics that are not only eco-friendly in construction, they’re 100 percent biodegradable.” After several month’s use, the shoes can be cut up with a pair of scissors and thrown out with the compost.

What’s the Big Idea?

While other shoe companies are moving towards using post-consumer materials, One Moment’s 01Ms is made out of vegetable-based plastic which is much cheaper to produce and sells for just ten Euros a pair. While there are a lot of good things to be said for them, the major downside to the 01Ms is that they are very thin and are ill-suited for bumpy terrain. Still, One Moment has provided a cheap, environmentally friendly option for footwear that can be improved upon in future shoe manufacturing.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com


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