Pioneering Sustainable Manufacture
Bioplastic Research
An innovative approach to raw materials could help us to further reduce our Carbon Footprint. Unfortunately polymers derived from fossil fuels are the most common ingredient in 3D printing filament, but credible alternatives are emerging. Bioplastic is derived from naturally occurring, organic materials that biodegrade such as corn starch. Our test pilots are already putting insoles made from bioplastic through their paces and feedback so far has been super positive.
Electric UK-Based Production
To keep our supply chain as short as possible and minimise emissions from distribution, we produce our insoles in the UK at our very own print farm. The machines run on renewably generated electricity and did you know that a 3D printer uses only 50W of power? This is less than your average incandescent light bulb!
Zero Waste 3D Printing
Unlike traditional insoles that use subtractive processes (grinding away material to create a shape), 3D printing is additive laying down an exact amount of material layer by layer allowing for 100% material efficiency. No molds, no grinding, nothing physically stored.
Minimalist Packaging Strategy
If you buy your insoles from one of our Retailers you won't be offered packaging. Our experience working on the shop floor taught us that individual insole packaging isn't necessary, since customers will want to try their insoles out and leave them in their footwear; so we send our Retailers batch boxes containing all of their customer orders once per week, from which individual orders are dispensed. If you order directly from Solemate though, you'll receive your insoles in a letterbox friendly, recyclable, Amazon-style cardboard mailer complete with gorgeous artwork by Jenny Leonard!
Recyclable & Recoverable
Our insoles are made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a flexible plastic which is widely recyclable without any need for disassembly. The material can even be ground down into pellets, melted into new filament and fed straight back into the manufacturing process!
