Open cell foam technology developer OrthoLite has said that its Cirql initiative, launched earlier this year, is already helping to put the athletic footwear industry on the road to a circular, sustainable future. [Circular convictions around OrthoLite Cirql rema - SportsTextiles]
OrthoLite introduced Cirql in March, describing the technology as the first chemicals-free, plant-based foam for use in footwear manufacturing. It developed the recyclable, biodegradable and industrially compostable foam solution in partnership with Italy-based bio-products group Novamont. The plant-based materials that it uses to make the foam are responsibly sourced.
It has set up a new Cirql division of the business in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam under the leadership of company vice-president, Matt Smith, where OrthoLite will make the product using a zero-waste process.
At the time of the launch, OrthoLite founder and chief executive, Glenn Barrett, said: “Worldwide footwear production has increased by over 20% since 2010 with no sign of slowing down. As an industry, the onus is on us all to help mitigate our environmental impact. It’s going to take commitment and a concerted team effort. Cirql is a major step in that positive direction.”
For his part, Matt Smith said the Cirql set-up in Vietnam represented an opportunity for footwear brands and their manufacturing partners “to move away from more hazardous materials and processes and into a new day in footwear manufacturing.”
In recent comments, OrthoLite has now said “even the most sincere sustainable efforts are often only treating the symptoms” at the moment, most typically through initiatives such as offsetting. In contrast, circular economies address the root of the problem and it repeated its conviction that Cirql can help the footwear industry “move in the right direction”.
