Covestro material enables fully recyclable shoes from TPU
18/11/2019
Traditional shoe manufacturing requires several steps – such as various materials being sewn and glued together – which not only makes production time-consuming and more expensive, but also hinders end-of-life recyclability. However, 3D printing has paved the way for shoes to now be made from only two parts – upper and sole.
The new material, using a power and a filament both based on TPU, can be used to produce both shoe parts, as the plastic offers high rebound and abrasion resistance.
Covestro said: “In addition, the shoe can later be recycled in a single step, including the polyurethane adhesive used for production – an important milestone towards recycling. Old shoes are thus turned into filaments for new shoes.”
The company will be presenting the new material this month at Formnext trade fair in Frankfurt.
Image: Covestro
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