Balena develops what it describes as the world’s first fully compostable plastic fashion product, decomposing into the ground without leaving harmful waste and chemicals By SHARON WROBEL
Balena's slides biodegrade back into the earth without leaving harmful waste and chemicals. (Courtesy)
With the chic of Milan and the tech developed in Tel Aviv, an Israeli materials science startup has rolled out fashionable footwear made of fully compostable material in an effort to replace polluting plastic currently used by fashion brands for clothing and shoes.
Balena’s shoes are made of 100% BioCir, a flexible biodegradable material consisting of natural ingredients bound by polymers and modifiers, which decomposes back into the earth without leaving harmful waste and chemicals.
Designed and manufactured in Italy, the Tel Aviv company in December debuted cinnamon-scented flip-flops for both men and women, selling the first thousand pairs in Tel Aviv for NIS 180 ($49) each.
Balena's slides biodegrade back into the earth without leaving harmful waste and chemicals. (Courtesy)
With the chic of Milan and the tech developed in Tel Aviv, an Israeli materials science startup has rolled out fashionable footwear made of fully compostable material in an effort to replace polluting plastic currently used by fashion brands for clothing and shoes.
Balena’s shoes are made of 100% BioCir, a flexible biodegradable material consisting of natural ingredients bound by polymers and modifiers, which decomposes back into the earth without leaving harmful waste and chemicals.
Designed and manufactured in Italy, the Tel Aviv company in December debuted cinnamon-scented flip-flops for both men and women, selling the first thousand pairs in Tel Aviv for NIS 180 ($49) each. Israel’s Judiciary: Reform or Ruin?Keep Watching Once users decide they are done wearing their shoes, they can bring them to designated flower or plant stores around Tel Aviv, where they will be taken to an industrial compost facility in the south of Israel, rather than ending up in a landfill.
Balena CEO David Roubach says the startup has debuted the world’s first fully compostable plastic fashion product made to provide an alternative to the toxic, fossil fuel-based materials used in the fashion industry. For Roubach, footwear is only the start for the potential use of biodegradable plastic in fashion, clothing and other consumer products.
“The difficulty was to engineer and develop compostable plastics that could be suitable for fashion and in that area,” Roubach told The Times of Israel. “We are currently in talks with the biggest footwear companies…to enable them to manufacture a line of compostable shoes.”
“Essentially our biocycling [biological recycling] solution that uses biological processes to break down waste and convert it into compost could be adapted to any product in the world,” he added.
Balena founder and CEO David Roubach. (Courtesy)
Fashion is responsible for up to 8% of global carbon dioxide output, and textile dyeing is a major polluter of water, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. It is the second most polluting industry after the oil and gas industries, accounting for 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Read more here: https://www.timesofisrael.com/designed-in-italy-with-israeli-knowhow-startup-debuts-compostable-footwear/