Sustainable fashion: The world’s first 3D-printed, made-to-measure, compostable shoe

In a potential breakthrough for sustainable fashion, London-based shoe company Vivobarefoot, in collaboration with material science company Balena, has created a prototype of compostable shoes.

The shoe boasts a beige/white color, flaunting elements of a Crocs with the appearance of the long-net stinkhorn fungus found in forests.

By creating prototypes of the shoes, the creators are hoping to curb the flow of million of shoes into landfill each year and bring about a huge breakthrough in sustainable footwear.

Notably, the fashion industry is responsible for 10 per cent of the world's carbon emissions.

The innovative footwear is being hailed as the world’s first 3D-printed, made-to-measure, compostable shoe, which can apparently be broken down at the end of its life, according to The Guardian. The shoes are likely to be sold for between £200 and £260 (Rs 21,000 to Rs 27,000).

After in-store foot scans, these shoes can take up to 30 hours to craft, said the report. They can be returned for composting at an industrial facility after they wear out, following which patented material will be broken down into a non-toxic substance.

“We are a trying to build a regenerative footwear business in an industry that is pretty famous for exploration, extraction and short-termism,” co-founder of Vivobarefoot Asher Clark was quoted as saying by the publication.

“This is about reimagining the way things are done from linear, offshore production to the world’s first scan-to-print-to-soil footwear. It is a vision for cutting out a lot of waste in supply chains and providing an end of life solution for the footwear industry," Clark added.

Clark also pointed out at a caveat to the sustainability claims of the shoes, adding the thermoplastic used to make them needs to go to a composting plant to break down as the polymer is 51 per cent biological materials and 49 per cent petrochemical.

On the durability front, Clark said it can compare with other polymers that are used in making trainers.