Minimalist shoe company Vivo Barefoot has announced a new range seemingly made from algae recovered from the world’s waterways. The firm claims “each pair will help re-circulate 57 gallons of filtered water back into natural habitats”.
Vivo has partnered with foam innovator Bloom, whose website says: “Algae’s natural thermoplastic qualities allow Bloom to meet, and in some cases exceed performance characteristics of conventional closed-cell flexible foam, resulting in improved tear strength and elongation, greater flexibility, and more.” And it’s biodegradable too, presumably.
Over 20 billion pairs of shoes are produced each year, and over 300 million pairs are thrown away, usually ending up in landfill.
