A groundbreaking new brand of sneakers designed to revolutionise the motorsport and footwear industries’ approach to sustainability has been launched by Bath university graduate Alex Witty.
Selling under the Compound Footwear brand, the stylish 100% recyclable sneakers are made from eco leather and recycled materials and are the only footwear brand using waste motorsport tyres destined for incineration.
The idea came to Alex, pictured, who studied Sustainable Product Design at the University of Brighton, after he learnt that 22bn shoes end up in landfill every year along with a billion tyres that have reached the end of their lives.
Dismayed by the level of waste involved, he became determined to create a unique, recyclable solution to the environmental pollution generated by both fast-fashion and international motorsport.
The fledgling business has already received support from the world of motorsport, as well as funding from Innovate UK, Santander and Verizon among others, and in a bid to raise £25,000 to fulfil initial orders a Kickstarter campaign will go live next week.
Having had the initial idea for the business during the pandemic, Alex, now 25, found himself firming up the concept and making prototypes from his student accommodation.
He said: “When the university facilities were closed due to Covid, it forced me to convert my bedroom into a workshop.
“I was recycling materials such coffee and ocean plastic in rows of panini presses and melting seaweed polymers in the student kitchen. I wasn’t winning any Flatmate of the Year awards that year!
“It was during this time that the Australian Grand Prix was cancelled and I heard that 1,800 brand-new tyres were scrapped and shipped back to the UK to be incinerated.
“I was shocked to find out that most motorsport tyres are burnt after each race and felt that surely I could find a better use for them.”
Over the past two years he has engaged with tyre manufacturers, shoe producers, material scientists and race series organisers, including Formula 1 and Formula E as well as carrying out extensive research and testing of tyre recycling methods.
He has also delved into devulcanisation, micronisation and cryogenic grinding, and explored other motorsport waste materials, such as scrap carbon fibre, race suits and motorsport clothing – where 25% of source materials typically go to waste as factory off-cuts.
"Our motorsport-inspired sneakers are made using a patented process to combine used race tyre rubber with recycled natural rubber to create the shoe soles,” he added.
“The uppers are made from waste leather and recycled polyester lining and laces. At the end of their natural life Compound Footwear sneakers can be recycled into 100% reusable raw materials to make new shoes and products.
“Our objective is to avoid the use of virgin fossil fuels, reduce the number of different materials that make most sneakers un-recyclable, and incorporate sustainable, recycled materials that not only reduce environmental impact, but are also an attractive step towards a cleaner, greener future.”
Alex’s journey has so far taken him to Bahrain, Italy, Spain, Germany and Portugal for shoe making courses, meetings and collaboration talks with world-leading industry experts.
He has also investigated polyester recycling techniques to create new yarns from waste motorsport clothing to create knitted sneaker uppers, a process that’s still in development.
Compound Footwear’s launch coincides with a growing sustainability push in the tyre and motorsport industries, particularly Formula 1, which has committed to achieving net zero carbon status by 2030.
The first range of Compound Footwear sneakers will launch next Tuesday, 24 October, via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.
Early supporters will enjoy exclusive, limited-edition sneakers and clothing at special early-bird launch prices.
