Component shoe is the name of the pilot project Candiani Denim conducted with Vibram within the scope of the Monitor for Circular Fashion created by SDA Bocconi School of Management and powered by Enel X. We co-engineered sustainable shoes composed of only five components that can be easily assembled at home, according to circularity principles.
Circular shoes made with upcycled cotton and FSC material
The upper of these circular shoes is made of 100% upcycled cotton denim and cotton thread. The sole contains natural FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified materials. A lace composed of a blend of cotton and TENCEL™ connects the upper to the sole.
The presence of fewer components (upper, sole, midsole, lace, and yarn for buttonhole) means that these shoes can be easily disassembled, repaired, and recycled when their life cycle is over, following circularity principles.
The Component shoe project mainly focused on eco-design, raw material sourcing, manufacturing of finished products, and end-of-life.
Eco-design
Four eco-design principles were applied:
- recyclability
- recycled inputs
- resources reduction
- repairability
All its KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) were measured:
- design for circularity
- co-creation
- modularity of the solutions
Moreover, the product entirely complies with the eco-design principle of easy disassembly, has only five components, and the estimated time to separate all the different materials is five minutes.
Raw material sourcing
Relative to raw material sourcing, circular inputs were used. 21% of the finished product is composed of pre-consumer recycled materials (i.e., production leftovers).
Manufacturing of finished products
On-demand production and modular solutions were the two KPIs we based on when conceiving our item in the scope of the manufacturing of finished products.
End-of-life
Recycling and regeneration were finally taken into account when thinking about the end-of-life of our component shoes. They can be easily repaired at home if needed, and all their parts can be recycled.
