Matthew Woodward chats with the CEO of BLUEVIEW about their biodegradable slip-ons and shares his review of wear shoes you can plant.
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Over the past couple of years writing for the Wellness Feed, I’ve gotten the chance to try all types of products with sustainable features that have shocked and delighted me. For example, I’ve tried out a wallet made of apple leather, a sustainably sourced leather laptop sleeve and shoulder bag, and science-first, sustainable hair and skincare products to name a few.
To me, biodegradability is a huge next step along the way. That’s exactly what BLUEVIEW has to offer with its biodegradable footwear. The shoes are the product of materials science innovators and parent company to BLUEVIEW, Algenesis, which creates a fully biodegradable plant-based plastic. Their current offering is a line of slip-ons made from 100% plant-based yarns with an organic cotton canvas strap on the top. The insole and outsole are patented polyurethane formulations that are both comfortable and supportive. BLUEVIEW also has a partnership where they donate 5% of the proceeds made from their signature Aquarium Denim Blue shoes to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
In my experience trying out BLUEVIEW slip-ons, I would highly recommend wearing socks to prevent any blisters. But with no-show socks on, they’re quite comfortable. I’ve even walked around my neighborhood with them on and they’ve held up perfectly well. Plus they truly are extremely comfortable.
To me, the current offerings are great for wearing around my apartment and in the building or on quick errands. However, living in the city, these are not the kinds of shoes I can survive wearing for a whole day. That’s okay; that’s not what this type of shoe is for. But, it would be nice to see some other offerings. As mentioned above, I’m most interested in seeing an everyday sneaker, as this is the kind of shoe that– in my experience –gets worn down the quickest and needs to be replaced the most. It could be a huge way to reduce waste in footwear to buy biodegradable everyday shoes.
As for the biodegradability, the shoes take up to a year to break down. They must be fully buried to biodegrade and the process can be a little bit slower during the winter. There’s a bit more on the process below in the interview.
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BLUEVIEW was kind enough to give me a pair of shoes to test out the biodegradability myself. Because of the limitations of apartment living in the city, I do not have an optimal set-up to fully test out this function at home. That said, I am composting them at my parents’ house, where eventually they will break down and get sprinkled on top of my childhood home’s garden. But due to the shoes biodegrading elsewhere, I haven’t been able to make any thorough observations about this process.
If you’d like to learn more about BLUEVIEW’s materials, the nitty gritty of their biodegradability, and what might be coming down the line, read on for my interview with BLUEVIEW’s CEO Stephen Mayfield.
Can you share more about the materials used to make your biodegradable footwear?
We make polyurethanes from plant oils that are designed to be both highly functional and biodegradable. That polyurethane is used for the outsole, cupsole, and insole, the parts of our shoe that are on the bottom. We also developed a 100% plant fiber upper material so that our entire sneaker is 100% biodegradable at the end of life.
What are some other sustainable features you incorporate into the design and manufacturing process?
The 100% plant uppers are knit, not cut and sewn, so that also reduces waste as there is no excess material on a knitted upper. We also use recycled and biodegradable paper material for our packaging.
How can customers compost the shoes at home?
You can place the entire shoe in your home compost pile, and it will degrade in less than 1 year. If you cut it into smaller pieces it will go faster, as little as 6 months. You can also bury your shoe in soil, and it will degrade there as well. You do not need any special compost type or facility.
Why did you choose a slip-on as your first product as opposed to a traditional sneaker or any other shoe you may have considered?
The Pacific was our first product, and we wanted a simple shoe that could be worn almost any place. We plan to follow it up with a regular lace sneaker that is waterproof, and a slip-on slide sandal. Those products are still in development and should be ready later this year (2024).
Do you have any plans for other garments down the road?
In addition to the shoes listed above, we plan on making waterproof travel bags using our polyurethanes for waterproofing canvas material, so we can have a 100% biodegradable travel bag.
What are some of BLUEVIEW’s sustainable goals for the future?
Making the 100% biodegradable sandal is a big goal for 2024, as that shoe is worn by about 2 billion people, so the world needs a biodegradable sandal!