The goal of this project was to make a shoe with the lowest carbon footprint possible. How did I do this? By making a shoe that consists of one material. Each of the shoes you see above is constructed with TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane). When you recycle a plastic, you must melt it down, hence the name “Re-drip”. This thermoplastic construction simplifies the recycling process, only requires material sourcing from one location, simplifies manufacturing and assembly, and has the most circular design possible. All these factors can lead to lower emissions.

Images Below:

Image 1: Strands of TPU fiber were strung to give the shoe tensile strength in the desired directions. These fibers were coated in a rubber TPU to give structure and stability.

Image 2: TPU rubber was used for the outsole and high-density TPU foam was used for the midsole. Different molecular variations in the urethane bond (isomers) allow the material to be used in different versatile ways.

Image 3: For the second construction, a TPU fabric was woven in strips for the upper. A low-density TPU foam was used to coat the inside to provide structure and comfort.