A 100% biodegradable shoes manufactured from banana farming waste? Yes, you read well. This footwear is already a reality and will be marketed soon in our country, but also in Germany, Italy, Canada and Russia.
The project has been led by Indianes, a Barcelona startup that has been researching for years how to create a totally natural, biodegradable shoe and no trace of harmful chemicals.
Circular economy, local crafts and sustainability
To achieve their goal, Indianes team have worked closely with communities of banana craftsmen in the mountains of Colombia. Learners of ancestral techniques, these have helped them to define the processes to extract natural fibers from banana waste, which, once clean, can be used as a material.
The next step, already in Catalonia, has been to produce the natural knitwear used in the manufacture of new footwear.