On December 7, Balena, a materials science company aiming to transform the fashion industry, announced the launch of eco-chic BioCir sandals, which are made from its proprietary 100% biodegradable plastic and are designed to help the fashion industry end the unsustainable amount of plastic waste and jumpstart the use of biodegradable plastics in shoes and other apparel. Balena's BioCir is a fully moldable, biodegradable elastomer that offers a viable alternative to the polluting plastic materials currently used by fashion brands for apparel and footwear.
To demonstrate the exciting potential of this unique technology, Balena debuted its fully compostable slippers for men and women, designed and manufactured in Italy and made entirely of BioCir, placing the first thousand pairs in the company's hometown of Tel Aviv. These BioCir slippers - colored and scented with natural cinnamon - have been worn by fashion and comfort lovers throughout the city, putting their feet first in the green future.
As part of its debut, Balena also introduced bio cycling, a full-cycle system that helps process and fully biodegrade its BioCir slippers in an industrial composting environment. Once customers are done using the flip-flops, they can return them to designated recycling sites throughout the city where they are collected and fully biodegraded at a local industrial composting facility, rather than being thrown in the garbage on their way to a landfill. This model, which aims to reduce fashion's contribution to plastic waste, can be replicated around the world.
The world's addiction to fast fashion leads to a staggering amount of apparel and footwear waste each year - it is estimated that 92 million tons of textile waste is generated globally each year, with only 12 percent of apparel materials being recycled. Balena's mission is to change this by creating a fully circular model that relies on the power of composting to reduce the global environmental impact of fashion.
Balena's proprietary BioCir 100 compostable plastic is durable, pliable, soft and smooth, making it the perfect alternative to current contaminating footwear materials while allowing brands to develop footwear that looks and feels like their current products. This biodegradable material can be handled like any other material and used in conventional injection molding processes and 3D printing, all of which offer unlimited manufacturing opportunities. It can be easily integrated into conventional manufacturing processes and replicated on a large scale globally, thereby significantly lowering the barrier to entry for manufacturers. Balena's groundbreaking slippers are the ultimate proof of concept for proving BioCir's durability, practicality and comfort.
"The global fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world. At Balena, our goal is to help turn that around," said David Roubach, founder and CEO of Balena. We are doing this by creating our own viable biodegradable plastic alternatives and fully recyclable systems that can be easily scaled, copied and pasted globally. We want our BioCir footwear to show the world that there is a real choice: fashion can be fabulous, functional and eco-friendly. We are proud to be a company that opens the doors for any fashion brand to start stepping into a more circular future."
