Researchers tried hundreds of variations before finally developing a "commercial-quality foam," making their biodegradable flip-flops "consumer-ready."
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00:00This comfy footwear is taking sustainable fashion to a whole nother level.
00:08University of California, San Diego researchers developed algae-based flip-flops that are
00:13consumer-ready.
00:14Working with start-up company LGENESIS Materials, they created foams made from algae oil to
00:20use for the flip-flops, midsole, and footbed.
00:23Researchers say this commercial-quality foam contains 52% of materials that biodegrade
00:28in the natural environment, and in the future, it'll hit 100% biocontent.
00:33To see if their biodegradable foams would actually disappear naturally over time, researchers
00:37placed the flip-flops in a compost.
00:39They found the shoes degraded after 16 weeks.
00:43The team is excited about creating a commercial product that can be fully recycled, saying
00:47a material's lifespan should be relative to the product's, and we don't need material
00:51that sits around for 500 years on a product that you will only use for a year or two.
00:56The flip-flops are on track for commercial production, but they're still working out
00:59the details with manufacturing partners.
01:02Researchers plan to use their findings to help combat plastic pollution, which they
01:05say will hit 13 billion metric tons worldwide by 2050 if no changes are made.
01:11The study was published in the journal BioResource Technology Reports.