Covestro and VAUDE team on partially bio-based outdoor hiking boot

In Germany, materials supplier Covestro and VAUDE, a family-owned manufacturer of outdoor equipment and footwear, have collaborated to develop a partially bio-based foam midsole for VAUDE’s new Lavik Eco outdoor hiking boot. It is based on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) foams from Covestro’s Desmopan® EC 33000 series, which use non-GMO raw materials. The durable foams meet the outdoor brand’s Green Shape criteria without sacrificing performance.

Together with VAUDE, Covestro has identified and tested start-up raw material supplier Metabolic Explorer, which can supply bio-based 1,3-propanediol, a building block in the production of polymers from palm oil. The fact that the chemical raw material is not genetically modified also played a role in the evaluation.