Koio (an Italian handmade luxury footwear brand) is furthering its sustainability efforts with the launch of its first 99% biodegradable sneaker.
According to the luxury footwear brand, the new sneaker, dubbed "Mello," is the product of two years of extensive research, prototyping and wear testing of biodegradable materials. Koio added that it is handmade in Italy from carbon-neutral recycled leather that is tanned without the use of heavy metals and aldehydes. It also comes with Lactae rubber tree soles handmade in France from rubber tree milk, insoles made from corn, wool and kenaf, and certified organic cotton shoelaces.
The sneakers are available in three colorways - Castagna (warm brown tones), Summit (beige tones) and Onyx (solid black), in men's and women's sizes.
"We chose biodegradable materials for these shoes," notes Koio co-founder Johannes Quodt. It is essentially a plant-based shoe. What we've achieved with this shoe is that wherever it ends up at the end of its wear cycle, it has the potential to biodegrade. So, if it does end up in the ground, then biodegradation will happen."
When asked if he would use the experience from this project and expand the technology throughout the brand, Quodt said he wanted to continue to build the brand's recycled collection and offer more styles and colors. "We are actually already taking the next step and we have started working with a new tannery that is able to produce a wider range of colors and textures for the leather. Now, we have more muted colors, so this new tannery will also allow us to make green and red shades. This will eventually allow us to replace some of the core leathers we currently use in our main collections."
The debut of Koio's new Mello sneakers comes a year after the luxury footwear brand launched its first recycled leather sneakers. Capri recycled sneakers use leather from carbon-neutral and recycled farms in the Swiss Alps. According to Koio, each pair of recycled leather sneakers saves 43.75 pounds of carbon due to these regenerative farming methods.
"Our customers have shown real enthusiasm for our carbon-neutral shoes," added Chris Wichert, co-founder of Koio. "The first version for Earth Day 2022 sold out in a matter of weeks. Everyone is excited about the earth-restoring power of recycled leather, which has really inspired us to embark on a journey to create carbon neutral and biodegradable sneakers. We can't wait for everyone to experience Mello.
