Footwear Insight

12 • Footwear Insight ~ September/October 2022 footwearinsight.com ECO INNOVATION "Footwear is the next place where we'll see forward movement in terms of a sustainability trajectory." Martin Flora, Green Theme Technologies footwear space, in tandem with this latest addition to the Material ConneXion library compliments the ISPO Textrends 2022 and Performance Days / Functional Fabric Fair award wins for the new Cordura re/cor RN66 platform. Tiong Liong Industrial Company, LLC., has been developing func- tional and environmentally friendly composite footwear materials for over four decades. Flora Tang, Tiong Liong Corporation project man- ager commented that Cordura re/ cor RN66 provides "the ultimate combination of sustainability and strength." e company developed two versions of Cordura re/cor RN66 rip-stop wovens: 4-way stretch and non-stretch. Fabric styles include CFINT001 100 percent RN66; and CFLNT001 85 percent RN66 / 15 percent spandex. Cordura re/cor RN66 launched at Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in January of this year. e production of Cordura re/cor RN66 produces 83 percent fewer greenhouse gas emis- sions, consumes 82 percent less energy, and uses 57 percent less water when compared with virgin nylon 6,6. Approximately two years in the making, Cordura re/cor RN66 targets products with high denier needs with a 100 percent pre-consumer fiber that is Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified. When first introduced to the market, Cindy McNaull, Cordura brand busi- ness development director remarked, "For Cordura, re/cor is one of the most exciting and largest innovations we've done." Treading Lightly with Wool, Environmentally Advances in yarn technology in recent years have elevated wool's place in the footwear sphere far above its long-established profile as a cozy slip- per. Suppliers have done a good job of educating industry and individ- uals alike about why wool works in footwear, highlighting performance features, ranging from breathability and temperature regulation to odor and stain resistance. Increasingly, how- ever, wool's eco attributes are garnering attention. A recent webinar hosted by The Woolmark Company with participants from Südwolle Group, STOLL by Karl Mayer and Kiefer von Zoe at D-house laboratorio urbano made a case for why wool works in today's footwear when it comes to sustainability. e webinar posted these fast facts: • e Footwear Industry produces 23.5 billion pairs of shoes annually • Footwear alone represents about 1.4 percent of global climate impacts • It can take 25-40 years for shoes to decompose "Designing for circularity are today's three main words," stated Alexander Behm, business development manager at STOLL by Karl Mayer, a leading flat knit machine maker, and specialist in the footwear sector. "Nowadays you have to look into the design from the material side and from the application side according to how we develop the machine to bring out the fabric," he added. Behm believes sneakers were just the starting point. "Because wool is a hybrid of functionality, it works in ballerina flats, sport shoes and high- end fashion styles. e big advantage is that you can combine the hybrid nature of wool with also the hybrid option of knitting capability, giving you a lens for focusing on the best of both worlds," Behm explained. "Wool is the future material; it has the ad- vantage of designing for circularity." n Left: GTT anti- wicking, PFAS- free treatment. Right: Cordura re/cor recycled nylon 6,6.

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