GumShoes, Recycled gum sneakers

Innovation in sneakers works !

Faced with the proliferation of crushed gum on its sidewalks, Amsterdam found part of the solution !

Like cigarettes, chewing gums is one of  the most important types of waste found in the city of Amsterdam. A real problem for the environment, because it takes about 20 years before a piece of gum breaks down. 

In the Netherlands, where 1,500 tonnes of chewing gum are found every year on sidewalks. This is when a great initiative is born : design a shoes whose sole is composed of 20% recycled chewing gum. The chewing gum is collected in the streets of Amsterdam, then the design of the sneakers is realized. 

The sole is therefore composed of 20% chewing gum, know that it takes about 1kg of chewing gum to make the sole. The rest of the shoes, is made of leather. 

It turns out that the production of gum is based on a synthetic gum, polyisobutylene, a polymer derived from refined petroleum. A cleaning team picked up the gum thrown on the sidewalks of Amsterdam and turned it into rubber. 

The designers are considering a system that would allow customers to replace the soles that would then be recycled. 

You will be able to buy in presale from summer 2018 : Recycled gum sneakers, two colors are available : 

Sources :

• https://www.futura-sciences.com/
• http://fr.fashionnetwork.com/

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