Vapesol: when waste becomes soles

Turning waste into something new to wear. That’s what’s happening in the laboratories of Vapesol, a Portuguese specialist in the production of soles that has decided to take the word ‘circularity’ seriously.

As part of the FAIST Programme and in collaboration with the Centro Tecnológico do Calçado (CTCP), the company is developing three lines of innovation that have a common denominator: recovering industrial waste considered problematic and transforming it into high-performance soles.

EVA FROM EVA. The first project addresses a technical paradox: ethylene vinyl acetate is a cross-linked polymer that is traditionally very difficult to recycle, yet its production generates mountains of waste. Vapesol is developing specific grinding and reprocessing techniques to reintegrate these residues into new soles, while maintaining their comfort and performance properties.

LEATHER IN SOLES. The most disruptive innovation concerns the development of TPU and EVA soles that incorporate tannery waste – yes, the very leather that would otherwise end up in landfill. The high inclusion rate achieved exceeds current industry standards, opening up new scenarios for the supply chain.

RECYCLED NITRILE. Third front: rubber soles that incorporate nitrile residues from external production processes, such as disposable gloves. A material that no one had thought to exploit in footwear.

Vapesol is not simply recycling: it is re-engineering the very concept of the sole, demonstrating that sustainability and performance can coexist.

Among the new features is a new resin 3D printer that allows the creation of flexible and ‘wearable’ sole prototypes: a new way of thinking about footwear, even at the prototyping stage.ù

And, one more thing, a new machine (the second of its kind in Europe to date) that allows the moulding of two-colour EVA soles for products with cutting-edge performance, particularly in terms of lightness, but with an added focus on style and design.