Outside the box…gum turns into sports shoes

Out of the box…gum turns into sports shoes

Who would have thought that the gum that people chew could turn into a new trend in the world of fashion?! Yes, this is what happened in the heart of the Dutch city of Amsterdam, where a bold idea was announced to transform the gum thrown in the streets of Amsterdam into modern and sustainable shoes.

From here, Earth Guards will explore with you the story of this new innovation; Because it is a unique initiative of its kind, and a distinct idea from outside the box, where creativity and sustainability can be balanced withEconomic development.. So continue reading the article.

A new beginning for dairy

It seems that the gum that we chew and then throw away carelessly has found a wonderful idea to preserve the environment. This is an idea that came in cooperation between the company “Gumdrop”, which specializes in manufacturing sustainable products, the fashion brand “Explicit”, and the Amsterdam City Council, where they launched a project that addresses the problem of the accumulation of gum in the streets of the Dutch city.

This project was called “Gumshoe”, and it is a distinctive sports shoe with a sole made of recyclable compounds, and 20% of these compounds are used in the manufacture of gum thrown in the streets of the capital, Amsterdam. So that the project will help clean the streets of such waste.

Frankincense also provides an opportunity to implement the concept of recycling; Because, ironically, gum is essentially made of synthetic rubber, and it contains components that are easily recyclable if we can separate and analyze them; Therefore, this is a step towards integrating industry and the concept of recycling.

Preserving the environment is a duty

The parties to this project viewed frankincense as one of the pollutants that hinders the achievement of environmental goals, which was confirmed by a study conducted by those in charge of the project. 1.5 million kilograms of gum are thrown away – throughout the year – in the streets of Amsterdam, and this environmental burden costs the city millions of dollars to clean its streets.

Therefore, the project parties cooperated to transform this problem into an opportunity that can achieve sustainability in various directions, and this is by using 250 grams of recycled gum to make each sole. The first batches of this product were produced, consisting of 500 shoes.

How does gum turn into a sole?

The recycling process consists of collecting gum thrown in the streets, then converting it into rubber granules known as “Gum-Tec,” which are then used to form sports shoes, whose sole design features a map of the city of Amsterdam, in reference to the project’s urban roots.

This rubber compound also has – according to designer Anna Poulos, director of Gumdrop, a durability comparable to regular rubber, in addition to being characterized by the usual smell of frankincense, which achieves comfort in use and a pleasant smell.

Expanding innovation

The project will not be limited to addressing the Amsterdam problem only; Rather, it seeks to expand the scope of the initiative to include major cities suffering from a problem such as that of Amsterdam. In addition, the project team is working on developing an option that enables consumers to replace the traditional sole with an insole made of gum, for a nominal fee.

In conclusion, this idea is an alternative to traditional materials in a more sustainable way, with an awareness message that combines economic return and environmental preservation at the same time. SoEarth Guards highlighted it as an ambitious idea to achieve clean environmental standards and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).