BLUEVIEW Footwear takes “reducing one’s carbon footprint” one step further than most other shoes on the market. Interpreting the expression in a literal sense, each pair of BLUEVIEW’s comfortable, durable shoes are made out of a revolutionary plant-based material and the brand’s production process identifies reducing their carbon output as a priority.

After over six years of dedicated studies and experimentation, BLUEVIEW’s founders Tom Cooke and biotech entrepreneur and surf scientist Dr. Stephen Mayfield released BLUEVIEW into the world with technology that is unprecedented in the footwear industry. Their commitment to creating an environmentally impactful product led to the formulation of Soleic, the plant-based substance that each pair is crafted from, which allows them to be 100% biodegradable — meaning they can break down entirely in soil or ocean water — and waste-free.

Describe Soleic to those who may not be familiar with the material and the science behind it?
Soleic is a game-changing material innovation. It’s the first biodegradable polyurethane system that meets the high-performance standards of the footwear industry. It’s durable while you’re wearing it and will only biodegrade if buried in compost, soil, or water with access to abundant microorganisms. You can get your shoe wet, put it in the washing machine, just dry it out and treat it like a normal shoe and it will last years. The science behind this unique material innovation was achieved at UCSD over the last 6 years and was funded by $15 million in government grants. It was invented by our team of scientists who are experts in molecular biology, biochemistry, and analytical chemistry. That team is world-class. The reason this technology is so meaningful is that it can help solve the plastic pollution crisis. We have proven that all of our materials and the entire shoe biodegrade in compost, soil, and in the ocean. We have peer-reviewed science papers proving these claims which is the gold standard. Consumers should be very wary of fashion brands making environmental claims; many brands are greenwashing which means they make false claims about sustainability. We’re working to fight greenwashing and hold the industry to new science-based standards.

Tell us about the production process of BLUEVIEW Footwear.
We started developing the Pacific sneaker in early 2020. It took us two years to commercialize all of the technologies required to manufacture that product in Indonesia. The global pandemic definitely slowed us down because we couldn’t travel to the factory but we stepped up to the challenge and leveraged Zoom to get the job done. We’re so proud of that achievement and of our sourcing team. It takes big brands much longer to develop new technology like this, and this is one advantage of being a start-up. We’re like a small speed boat and we can move very fast. BLUEVIEW proved what was possible with our technology which is really important. The manufacturing process involves pouring the Soleic chemical system into molds that produce the bottom parts of our shoes. The soft white and blue bottom parts are made with our Soleic biodegradable polyurethane foam technology. The upper and internal components weren’t trivial either, we spent 9 months figuring out how to knit 100% biodegradable plant-based uppers. They are knitted on special machines we purchased using a combination of hemp and eucalyptus yarns. The machines require special programming to ensure the uppers are durable and biodegradable. The entire shoe was engineered to be lightweight, comfortable, supportive, and durable — all while being 100% biodegradable.

What was the “aha moment” that sparked the founders’ interest in creating a shoe like BLUEVIEW, the first of its kind technologically?
Our CEO, Stephen Mayfield, took a surf trip to the Maldives back in 2016 and went to an island that no one had set foot on in 50 years. It was covered in plastic trash — mostly water bottles, flip-flops, and other forms of plastic footwear. This is an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean; very remote. Steve thought, “What have we done to this planet?” and he set about finding a solution to this problem. That was the inspiration for launching our parent company Algenesis, which owns BLUEVIEW, and for inventing the Soleic biodegradable polyurethane material. Steve and I met while I was working at REEF as VP of Global Product and we decided that our partnership would accelerate the effort to commercialize the technology and get it into products. We’re running out of time to solve some of these huge environmental problems. I’m particularly concerned about microplastics. It’s estimated that we’re ingesting a credit card per week in microplastics and the health impacts aren’t well known. BLUEVIEW won’t create any microplastics which is important to us.

What are some of the other unique characteristics of BLUEVIEW shoes?
The shoes are exceptionally lightweight and comfortable. It’s the perfect spring/summer shoe to chill in, run errands, go out to a park or to the beach, out to dinner; it’s a very versatile product. The removable upper strap is pretty unique; you can wear the shoe as both a loafer style with the strap attached or you can untie the laces and remove the strap and wear it as a classic slip-on style. That customizable aspect makes the shoe more versatile because it’s like two styles in one. We’ve even had customers make their own straps with old fabrics. That was really cool to see, especially with the amount of textile waste out there, it’s important to re-use those materials.

What is next for the company? How do you hope to continue this movement that champions lower carbon footprints and investing in healthier materials?
We always say the small victory is that we sell a lot of BLUEVIEW shoes, but the big victory is sharing our material technology and cleaning up the supply chain of multiple industries. Polyurethane is in so many different industries and products. That’s our plan and we’re out raising our Series A financing round right now to go big with the technology sales. We’ve got deals with several leading brands in footwear and apparel to launch Soleic technology. That is really the most exciting part for our team. We want to change the world and make a positive impact on the plastic pollution crisis. The fastest way to do that is to get this technology into as many factories around the world as quickly as we can. It’s why we get out of bed in the morning and go to work.

Website: https://blueviewfootwear.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blueviewfootwear/

Article by Kayla Curtis-Evans, Contributing Sustainable Editor PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Design Coordinator, PhotoBook Magazine
*All images courtesy of BLUEVIEW Footwear

BLUEVIEW’s Footwear Are Making for a Greener Planet