VIVOBAREFOOT Takes Another Major Sustainability Step with Plant-based Shoes

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of its recent Eco line release, leading global barefoot footwear company VIVOBAREFOOT announced today plans to bring a plant-based shoe range to the market. The new Primus Bio range will use a plant-based polymer—a product based on industrial field corn —in its sole and upper and will be the lightest and most environmentally-sound shoe range available to-date. The Primus Bio is VIVOBAREFOOT's latest step in the quest to use 90 percent sustainable materials across its entire product range by 2020.

Seventh-generation shoemakers Galahad and Asher Clark are firm believers that barefoot shoe-making is sustainable shoe making. The company has already pioneered shoes made of repurposed algae (Ultra 3 BLOOM), and an Eco range made of 50 percent recycled plastic, with 17 recycled bottles per pair. In 2017, VIVOBAREFOOT diverted over 2 million plastic bottles from landfills into barefoot shoes.  

60% of the outsole and 30% of the upper of the Primus Bio is made from Susterra® propanediol based Bio-TPU - making a shoe that we believe to be the least petroleum-reliant performance shoe in the world. Susterra Propanediol is created through a fermentation process using plant-derived glucose from the starch found in field corn and is petroleum-free, non-toxic and 100% USDA certified. The material gives shoes greater flexibility in the cold and is incredibly resilient to abrasions and general wear. Susterra propanediol uses 52% less energy than the standard petroleum-based materials used by the global footwear industry and 32% less greenhouse gas emissions.

"Sustainability is our journey and we believe that the perfect shoe has minimal interference with natural movement and minimal impact on the environment," said Asher Clark, Design Director at VIVOBAREFOOT. "The Primus Bio champions the future of sustainable materials which I believe will be largely bio-based. This is an exciting step in the right direction away from the single use petroleum-based alternatives commonly used in athletic footwear and every action counts in our journey of redefining the world's relationship with environmentally-damaging materials," added Clark.

The Primus Bio will be available to purchase from the VIVOBAREFOOT website in 2019.

For additional information on VIVOBAREFOOT, visit https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us.

About VIVOBAREFOOT

VIVOBAREFOOT launched in 2012 as a standalone brand and is based in London, England. VIVOBAREFOOT is on a mission to change the footwear industry based on one simple insight—shoes should let your feet do their natural thing. The shoes feature a patented, ultra-thin, puncture-resistant sole in every shoe that protects the foot and allows maximum sensory feedback. Designed using ancient wisdom with modern technology, VIVOBAREFOOT is a complete shoe collection for off road, exercise and everyday wear, and includes a line for kids. Created by two cousins from a long line of cobblers, Galahad and Asher Clark are on a quest to make the perfect shoe—perfect for feet. For more information on VIVOBAREFOOT, visit www.vivobarefoot.com.

SOURCE VIVOBAREFOOT

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