Vivobarefoot and Balena to unveil 3D printed, compostable footwear

A footwear manufacturer, Vivobarefoot, and Balena, a material science company, are teaming up to revolutionize barefoot footwear. Their groundbreaking partnership aims to create the world’s first 3D printed and custom-fit shoes that are fully compostable. The vision is to produce footwear on demand, tailored to individual measurements, and crafted with Balena’s BioCir®flex, an eco-friendly, recyclable material.

Both the companies are trying to develop the prototype of these innovative shoes using a patented scan-to-print computational design system. If scalable, this system could enable the production of on-demand footwear for individuals rather than mass markets. The emphasis remains on customization, local production, and the use of Balena’s compostable BioCir®flex material.

Asher Clark, the co-founder of Vivobarefoot, said, “The world doesn’t need new shoes. We need a new system and new materials.  This future is literally at our feet and this footwear will enable us to reconnect to nature, move as nature intended and return footwear to nature when you’re done.’

VivoBiome, introduced by Vivobarefoot, is a revolutionary scan-to-print circular barefoot footwear system. It represents a transformative approach to how footwear is manufactured, used, and perceived. The ultimate vision is to achieve Vivobarefoot’s goal of regenerative barefootwear through a circular system that redefines the entire footwear creation process.

In the future, VivoBiome footwear aims to be made-to-order, ensuring on-demand production, made-to-measure for a personalized fit, produced locally to support onshore manufacturing, and designed to be remade in a circular fashion, promoting sustainability in the long run.