Adidas in collaboration with biotech company Bolt Threads has created a mushroom-based leather.
The popular Stan Smith sneakers can now be bought in an eco-friendly and vegan “mushroom” version, made from Mylo material. It gets its name from the mycelium from which it is produced.
For several years now, the company has been working to reduce plastic consumption and waste production as much as possible. Earlier this year, it also released a version of the shoes called Stan Smith PRIMEGREEN, consisting of 50 percent recycled materials.
Traditional leather substitutes are made from plastic polymers and are not biodegradable, which is one of the reasons Adidas and Bolt Threads looked for a plant-based alternative.
The Mylo shoes are in line with the shoe giant’s pro-environmental strategy. Their sole is made of natural rubber, while the body – the upper, straps, heel cap and logos sewn onto the shoes – is made of mushroom leather.
The mushrooms for the material are grown on vertical farms in the Netherlands. They grow on sawdust and organic material, so they are ready to harvest after only two weeks. The mycelium is processed, the process of which is a company secret. The result is soft and flexible sheets of biomass with skin-like properties.
Adidas has not yet announced how much the “mushroom” shoes will cost.
It is worth mentioning that Adidas is not the only big brand that tries its hand at eco-solutions. Some time ago we heard from a straw made of coffee grounds starbucks and a paper bottle Coca-Cola.
